Research and industrial interest in radical C–H activation/radical cross-coupling chemistry has continuously grown over the past few decades. These reactions offer fascinating and unconventional approaches toward connecting molecular fragments with high atom- and step-economy that are often complementary to traditional methods. Success in this area of research was made possible through the development of photocatalysis and first-row transition metal catalysis along with the use of peroxides as radical initiators. This Review provides a brief and concise overview of the current status and latest methodologies using radicals or radical cations as key intermediates produced via radical C–H activation. This Review includes radical addition, radical cascade cyclization, radical/radical cross-coupling, coupling of radicals with M–R groups, and coupling of radical cations with nucleophiles (Nu).

Recent Advances in Radical C-H Activation/Radical Cross-Coupling.

Radicals are an important class of versatile and highly reactive species. Compared with the wide applications of various C-centred radicals, however, the N-radical species including N-centred radicals and radical ions remain largely unexplored due to the lack of convenient methods for their generation. In recent years, visible light photoredox catalysis has emerged as a powerful platform for the generation of various N-radical species and methodology development towards the synthesis of diverse N-containing compounds. In this tutorial review, we highlight recent advances in this rapidly developing area with particular emphases put on the working models and new reaction design.

Visible light photoredox-controlled reactions of N-radicals and radical ions

Radical-radical couplings are mostly nearly diffusion-controlled processes. Therefore, the selective cross-coupling of two different radicals is challenging and not a synthetically valuable transformation. However, if the radicals have different lifetimes and if they are generated at equal rates, cross-coupling will become the dominant process. This high cross-selectivity is based on a kinetic phenomenon called the persistent radical effect (PRE). In this Review, an explanation of the PRE supported by simulations of simple model systems is provided. Radical stabilities are discussed within the context of their lifetimes, and various examples of PRE-mediated radical-radical couplings in synthesis are summarized. It is shown that the PRE is not restricted to the coupling of a persistent with a transient radical. If one coupling partner is longer-lived than the other transient radical, the PRE operates and high cross-selectivity is achieved. This important point expands the scope of PRE-mediated radical chemistry. The Review is divided into two parts, namely 1) the coupling of persistent or longer-lived organic radicals and 2) "radical-metal crossover reactions"; here, metal-centered radical species and more generally longer-lived transition-metal complexes that are able to react with radicals are discussed-a field that has flourished recently.

The Persistent Radical Effect in Organic Synthesis

A visible-light photocatalytic generation of N-centered hydrazonyl radicals has been accomplished for the first time. This approach allows efficient intramolecular addition of hydrazonyl radical to terminal alkenes, thus providing hydroamination and oxyamination products in good yields. Importantly, the protocol involves deprotonation of an N-H bond and photocatalytic oxidation to an N-centered radical, thus obviating the need to prepare photolabile amine precursors or the stoichiometric use of oxidizing reagents.

Photocatalytic Generation of N-Centered Hydrazonyl Radicals: A Strategy for Hydroamination of β,γ-Unsaturated Hydrazones†

An unprecedented α-allylation of amines was achieved by combining palladium catalysis and visible-light photoredox catalysis. In this dual catalysis process, the catalytic generation of allyl radical from the corresponding π-allylpalladium intermediate was achieved without additional metal reducing reagents (redox-neutral). Various allylation products of amines were obtained in high yields through radical cross-coupling under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, the transformation was applied to the formal synthesis of 8-oxoprotoberberine derivatives which show potential anticancer properties.

Redox‐Neutral α‐Allylation of Amines by Combining Palladium Catalysis and Visible‐Light Photoredox Catalysis

Transition-Metal-Assisted Radical/Radical Cross-Coupling: A New Strategy to the Oxidative C(sp3)–H/N–H Cross-Coupling

Highly selective radical/radical cross-coupling is paid more attention in bond formations. However, due to their intrinsic active properties, radical species are apt to achieve homo-coupling instead of cross-coupling, which makes the selective cross-coupling as a great challenge and almost untouched. Herein a notable strategy to accomplish direct radical/radical oxidative cross-coupling has been demonstrated, that is metal tuning a transient radical to a persistent radical intermediate followed by coupling with another transient radical. Here, a transient nitrogen-centered radical is tuned to a persistent radical complex by copper catalyst, followed by coupling with a transient allylic carbon-centered radical. Firstly, nitrogen-centered radical generated from N-methoxybenzamide stabilized by copper catalyst was successfully observed by EPR. Then DFT calculations revealed that a triplet diradical Cu(II) complex formed from the chelation N-methoxybenzamide nitrogen-centered radical to Cu(II) is a persistent radical species. Moreover, conceivable nitrogen-centered radical Cu(II) complex was observed by high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Ultimately, various allylic amides derivatives were obtained in good yields by adopting this strategy, which might inspire a novel and promising landscape in radical chemistry.

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Tuning the Reactivity of Radical through a Triplet Diradical Cu(II) Intermediate in Radical Oxidative Cross-Coupling.

The title reaction is optimized and the mechanism in the presence of the Ni catalyst is investigated and discussed in detail.

Liangliang Zhou

Papers

Transition-Metal-Assisted Radical/Radical Cross-Coupling: A New Strategy to the Oxidative C(sp3)–H/N–H Cross-Coupling

Tuning the Reactivity of Radical through a Triplet Diradical Cu(II) Intermediate in Radical Oxidative Cross-Coupling.

Transition‐Metal‐Assisted Radical/Radical Cross‐Coupling: A New Strategy to the Oxidative C(sp3)—H/N—H Cross‐Coupling.