Abstract
AbstractDue to their strong covalent bonds and low reduction potentials, activating inert substrates is challenging. Recent advances in photoredox catalysis offered a number of solutions, each of which useful for activating specific inert bonds. Developing a general catalytic platform that can consistently target a broad range of inert substrates would be synthetically useful. Herein, we report a readily available indole thiolate organocatalyst that, upon excitation with 405 nm light, acquires a strongly reducing power. This excited‐state reactivity served to activate, by single‐electron reduction, strong C−F, C−Cl, and C−O bonds in both aromatic and aliphatic substrates. This catalytic platform was versatile enough to promote the reduction of generally recalcitrant electron‐rich substrates (Ered<−3.0 V vs SCE), including arenes that afforded 1,4‐cyclohexadienes. The protocol was also useful for the borylation and phosphorylation of inert substrates with a high functional group tolerance. Mechanistic studies identified an excited‐state thiolate anion as responsible of the highly reducing reactivity.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.