TY - JOUR
T1 - Alkene dialkylation by triple radical sorting
AU - Wang, Johnny Z.
AU - Lyon, William L.
AU - MacMillan, David W.C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2024.
PY - 2024/4/4
Y1 - 2024/4/4
N2 - The development of bimolecular homolytic substitution (SH2) catalysis has expanded cross-coupling chemistries by enabling the selective combination of any primary radical with any secondary or tertiary radical through a radical sorting mechanism1–8. Biomimetic9,10 SH2 catalysis can be used to merge common feedstock chemicals—such as alcohols, acids and halides—in various permutations for the construction of a single C(sp3)–C(sp3) bond. The ability to sort these two distinct radicals across commercially available alkenes in a three-component manner would enable the simultaneous construction of two C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds, greatly accelerating access to complex molecules and drug-like chemical space11. However, the simultaneous in situ formation of electrophilic and primary nucleophilic radicals in the presence of unactivated alkenes is problematic, typically leading to statistical radical recombination, hydrogen atom transfer, disproportionation and other deleterious pathways12,13. Here we report the use of bimolecular homolytic substitution catalysis to sort an electrophilic radical and a nucleophilic radical across an unactivated alkene. This reaction involves the in situ formation of three distinct radical species, which are then differentiated by size and electronics, allowing for regioselective formation of the desired dialkylated products. This work accelerates access to pharmaceutically relevant C(sp3)-rich molecules and defines a distinct mechanistic approach for alkene dialkylation.
AB - The development of bimolecular homolytic substitution (SH2) catalysis has expanded cross-coupling chemistries by enabling the selective combination of any primary radical with any secondary or tertiary radical through a radical sorting mechanism1–8. Biomimetic9,10 SH2 catalysis can be used to merge common feedstock chemicals—such as alcohols, acids and halides—in various permutations for the construction of a single C(sp3)–C(sp3) bond. The ability to sort these two distinct radicals across commercially available alkenes in a three-component manner would enable the simultaneous construction of two C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds, greatly accelerating access to complex molecules and drug-like chemical space11. However, the simultaneous in situ formation of electrophilic and primary nucleophilic radicals in the presence of unactivated alkenes is problematic, typically leading to statistical radical recombination, hydrogen atom transfer, disproportionation and other deleterious pathways12,13. Here we report the use of bimolecular homolytic substitution catalysis to sort an electrophilic radical and a nucleophilic radical across an unactivated alkene. This reaction involves the in situ formation of three distinct radical species, which are then differentiated by size and electronics, allowing for regioselective formation of the desired dialkylated products. This work accelerates access to pharmaceutically relevant C(sp3)-rich molecules and defines a distinct mechanistic approach for alkene dialkylation.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41586-024-07165-x
DO - 10.1038/s41586-024-07165-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 38350601
AN - SCOPUS:85188148286
SN - 0028-0836
VL - 628
SP - 104
EP - 109
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 8006
ER -