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A Cu(I)-photoredox-catalyzed trifluoromethylchlorosulfonylation reaction of terminal alkynes under visible light conditions was developed, giving rise to trifluoromethyl-substituted vinylsulfonyl chlorides, which can subsequently be coupled to a second alkyne under photocatalytic conditions. The transformation proceeds with high regio- and stereoselectivity and can be applied to aliphatic and aromatic alkynes with various functional groups. Trifluoromethyl-substituted divinyl sulfones prepared by this protocol can be readily used as synthetically valuable intermediates as demonstrated with various postmodification examples.

An atom-economic reaction sequence on a multigram scale for synthesizing 2-pyrone was developed starting from furfuryl alcohol, a renewable resource made from bran or bagasse, utilizing a large-scale thermal rearrangement of cyclopentadienone epoxide as the key step. Additionally, 6-substituted 2-pyrone natural product derivatives are readily accessible by this approach.

The first enantioselective synthesis of (

C 2-Symmetrical chiral amino alcohol ligands with a central thiophene moiety were shown to be effective in combination with CuCl2 for the asymmetric acylation of dl-hydrobenzoins. In contrast to previously developed chiral ligands, readily available acetyl chloride and acetic anhydride can be used as reagents, in addition to benzoyl chloride, giving rise to the corresponding monoacylated products in up to 99% ee (S = 532).

The recyclable nanomagnetic Pd-complex PAMAM G0-Pd@γ-Fe2O3 is reported for catalytic C–C cross-coupling reactions of challenging substrates.

Atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) reactions are linchpin transformations in synthetic chemistry enabling the atom-economic difunctionalization of alkenes. Thereby a rich chemical space can be accessed through smart combinations of simple starting materials. Originally, these reactions required toxic and hazardous radical initiators or harsh thermal activation and thus, the recent resurgence and dramatic evolution of photocatalysis appeared as an attractive complement to catalyze such transformations in a mild and energy-efficient manner. Initially, this technique relied primarily on complexes of precious metals, such as ruthenium or iridium, to absorb the visible light. Hence, copper photocatalysis rapidly developed into a powerful alternative, not just from an economic point of view. Originally considered to be disadvantageous as a pathway for deactivation by quenching their excited state, the dynamic nature of Cu-complexes enables them to undergo facile ligand exchange and thus opens up special opportunities for transformations utilizing their inner-coordination sphere. Moreover, the ability of Cu(II), representing a persistent radical, to capture incipient radicals offers the possibility to access heretofore elusive two-component, but also three-component, ATRA reactions, not feasible with ruthenium or iridium catalysts. In this regard, the idea of using Cu(I)-substrate assemblies as active photocatalysts is an emerging field to achieve such 3-component coupling reactions even under enantioselective control, which is reflected by an increasing number of reports being covered in this review.

No preactivation or coupling to high-energy reagents is required for the dearomative coupling of benzylmalonates and acetylenes, although the transformation has no significant thermodynamic driving force.

Cu(ii)·1Q is efficient in ATRA reactions with perhaloalkanes, revealing the role of common additives (AIBN or inorganic base).

We report the visible light-mediated copper-catalyzed vicinal difunctionalization of olefins utilizing bromonitroalkanes as ATRA reagents. This protocol is characterized by high yields and fast reaction times under environmentally benign reaction conditions with exceptional scope, allowing the rapid functionalization of both activated and unactivated olefins. Moreover, late-stage functionnalization of biologically active molecules and upscaling to gram quantities is demonstrated, which offers manifold possibilities for further transformations, e.g. access to nitro- and aminocyclopropanes. Besides the synthetic utility of the title transformation, this study undergirds the exclusive role of copper in photoredox catalysis showing its ability to stabilize and interact with radical intermediates in its coordination sphere. EPR studies suggest that such interactions can even outperform a highly favorable cyclization of transient to persistent radicals contrasting iridium-based photocatalysts.

A sequential photocatalytic strategy is developed via the merger of Cu(II)/Cu(I)-catalytic cycles for the oxoallylation of vinyl arenes via α-haloketones. The initial Cu(II)-photocatalyzed oxohalogenation exploits ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) to generate halide radicals from acyl halides utilizing air as a terminal oxidant and can be employed for the late-stage modification of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. α-Bromoketones obtained this way can be subsequently subjected to a one-pot Cu(I)-photocatalyzed allylation. This sequential photocatalysis proceeds in a highly regio- and chemoselective fashion and is inconsequential to the electronic nature of styrenes.

Herein we report a catalyst- and metal-free visible-light-mediated protocol enabling the iodoamination of miscellaneous olefins. This protocol is characterized by high yields under environmentally benign reaction conditions utilizing commercially available substrates and a green and biodegradable solvent. Furthermore, the protocol allows for late-stage functionalization of bioactive molecules and can be scaled to gram quantities of product, which offers manifold possibilities for further transformations, including morpholine, piperidine, pyrrolidine, and aziridine synthesis.

The controllable divergent reactivity of 1,3-dicarbonyls is described, which enables the efficient hydro- and oxo-alkylation of vinyl arenes. Both reaction pathways are initiated through the formation of polarity reversed C-centered-radical intermediates at the active methylene center of 1,3-dicarbonyls via direct photocatalytic C-H bond transformations. The oxoalkylation of alkenes is achieved under aerobic conditions via a Cu(II)-photo-mediated rebound mechanism while the corresponding hydroalkylation becomes possible under nitrogen atmosphere by the combination of 4CzIPN and a Brønsted base. The breadth of these divergent protocols is demonstrated in the late-stage modification of drugs and natural products, and by the transformation of the products to a variety of heterocycles such as pyridines, pyrroles, or furans. Moreover, the two catalytic modes can be combined synergistically for the stereoselective construction of cyclopenta-nol derivatives in a formal [4+1]-annulation process.

The mainstream applications of visible‐light photoredox catalysis predominately involve outer‐sphere single‐electron transfer (SET) or energy transfer (EnT) processes of precious metal RuII or IrIII complexes or of organic dyes with low photostability. Earth‐abundant metal‐based MnLn‐type (M=metal, Ln=polydentate ligands) complexes are rapidly evolving as alternative photocatalysts as they offer not only economic and ecological advantages but also access to the complementary inner‐sphere mechanistic modes, thereby transcending their inherent limitations of ultrashort excited‐state lifetimes for use as effective photocatalysts. The generic process, termed visible‐light‐induced homolysis (VLIH), entails the formation of suitable light‐absorbing ligated metal–substrate complexes (MnLn‐Z; Z=substrate) that can undergo homolytic cleavage to generate Mn−1Ln and Z. for further transformations., The use of earth‐abundant metal complexes in photoredox catalysis offers a complementary mode of activation for organic substrates through visible‐light‐induced homolysis (VLIH) of metal–substrate bonds. This Minireview describes different electronic transitions that occur in photoexcited metal–substrate complexes as well as recent advancements and future prospects in this area.

The divalent iron complexes trans-[FeBr2(BINC)2], [Cp*FeCl(BINC)] (Cp* = Me5C5), and [FeBr2(CNAr3NC)2] with the chelating bis(isonitrile) ligands BINC (bis(2-isocyanophenyl)phenylphosphonate) and CNAr3NC (2,2″-diisocyano-3,5,3″,5”tetramethyl-1,1′:3′,1″-terphenyl) have been prepared and characterized. Their subsequent reduction yields the di- and trinuclear compounds [Fe3(BINC)6], [Cp*Fe(BINC)]2, [Fe(CNAr3NC)2]2, and [K(Et2O)]2[Fe(CNAr3NC)2]2. The molecular structures of all new species were determined by X-ray crystallography and compared to those of related iron carbonyl complexes, demonstrating that the bidentate isonitrile ligands are capable surrogates for two CO ligands with only minimal distortion of the tetrahedral or octahedral geometry of the parent complexes. The complexes were further characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy, and the electrochemical properties of selected compounds were analyzed by UV–vis–NIR spectroelectrochemistry.

Industrial process development is driven by several factors, including safety, cost, robustness and environmental aspects. However, attempts to establish aryl diazo esters – which are highly valued in academic research for their reactivity as carbene precursors – in the chemical industry have been limited by their explosivity and toxicity. Their catalyst-free photolysis in continuous flow improves safety, sustainability and scalability compared to batch reactions. Herein, we report the continuous flow catalyst-free photocyclopropanation of heterocycles in up to grams per h productivity in a non-chlorinated, biodegradable solvent. Highly-functionalized cyclopropanated products are key intermediates in the synthesis of drugs and pharmaceutically-relevant compounds. Optimal conditions and process understanding were obtained by a Design of Experiments approach. In comparison with a large scale batch experiment, continuous flow conditions improved yield, productivity and process safety.