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Matthew N. Hopkinson

Bio: Matthew N. Hopkinson is an academic researcher from Free University of Berlin. The author has contributed to research in topics: Photoredox catalysis & Catalysis. The author has an hindex of 26, co-authored 64 publications receiving 8352 citations. Previous affiliations of Matthew N. Hopkinson include Imperial College London & University of Oxford.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
26 Jun 2014-Nature
TL;DR: A concise overview of N-heterocyclic carbenes in modern chemistry is provided, summarizing their general properties and uses and highlighting how these features are being exploited in a selection of pioneering recent studies.
Abstract: The successful isolation and characterization of an N-heterocyclic carbene in 1991 opened up a new class of organic compounds for investigation. From these beginnings as academic curiosities, N-heterocyclic carbenes today rank among the most powerful tools in organic chemistry, with numerous applications in commercially important processes. Here we provide a concise overview of N-heterocyclic carbenes in modern chemistry, summarizing their general properties and uses and highlighting how these features are being exploited in a selection of pioneering recent studies.

2,932 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this review, recent advances in the emerging field of non-chelate-assisted C-H activation are discussed, highlighting some of the most intriguing and inspiring examples of induction of reactivity and selectivity.
Abstract: The use of coordinating moieties as directing groups for the functionalization of aromatic CH bonds has become an established tool to enhance reactivity and induce regioselectivity. Nevertheless, with regard to the synthetic applicability of CH activation, there is a growing interest in transformations in which the directing group can be fully abandoned, thus allowing the direct functionalization of simple benzene derivatives. However, this approach requires the disclosure of new strategies to achieve reactivity and to control selectivity. In this review, recent advances in the emerging field of non-chelate-assisted CH activation are discussed, highlighting some of the most intriguing and inspiring examples of induction of reactivity and selectivity.

1,419 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review presents the current state of the art in this field and detail C-H activation transformations reported since 2011 that proceed either at or below ambient temperature, in the absence of strongly acidic or basic additives or without strong oxidants.
Abstract: Organic reactions that involve the direct functionalization of non-activated C–H bonds represent an attractive class of transformations which maximize atom- and step-economy, and simplify chemical synthesis. Due to the high stability of C–H bonds, these processes, however, have most often required harsh reaction conditions, which has drastically limited their use as tools for the synthesis of complex organic molecules. Following the increased understanding of mechanistic aspects of C–H activation gained over recent years, great strides have been taken to design and develop new protocols that proceed efficiently under mild conditions and duly benefit from improved functional group tolerance and selectivity. In this review, we present the current state of the art in this field and detail C–H activation transformations reported since 2011 that proceed either at or below ambient temperature, in the absence of strongly acidic or basic additives or without strong oxidants. Furthermore, by identifying and discussing the major strategies that have led to these improvements, we hope that this review will serve as a useful conceptual overview and inspire the next generation of mild C–H transformations.

1,373 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The state of the art in organic reactions mediated by dual catalytic systems merging photoredox activation with organo-, acid or metal catalysis is discussed.
Abstract: The photoredox activation of organic substrates with visible light is a powerful methodology that generates reactive radical species under very mild conditions. When combined with another catalytic process in a dual catalytic system, novel, visible-light-promoted transformations have been realized that do not proceed using either catalyst in isolation. In this minireview, the state of the art in organic reactions mediated by dual catalytic systems merging photoredox activation with organo-, acid or metal catalysis is discussed.

579 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of dual gold/photoredox catalysis is provided and the potential of this concept to greatly expand the scope of homogeneous gold catalysis and enable the efficient construction of complex organic molecules is highlighted.
Abstract: ConspectusSince the beginning of this century, π-Lewis acidic gold complexes have become the catalysts of choice for a wide range of organic reactions, especially those involving nucleophilic addition to carbon–carbon multiple bonds. For the most part, however, the gold catalyst does not change oxidation state during the course of these processes and two-electron redox cycles of the kind implicated in cross-coupling chemistry are not easily accessible. In order to address this limitation and expand the scope of gold catalysis beyond conventional hydrofunctionalization, extensive efforts have been made to develop new oxidative reactions using strong external oxidants capable of overcoming the high potential of the AuI/AuIII redox couple. However, these processes typically require superstoichiometric amounts of the oxidant and proceed under relatively harsh conditions. Moreover, to date, gold-catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions have remained somewhat limited in scope because, for many systems, the desire...

460 citations


Cited by
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TL;DR: This Review gives a brief summary of conventional fluorination reactions, including those reactions that introduce fluorinated functional groups, and focuses on modern developments in the field.
Abstract: Over the past decade, the most significant, conceptual advances in the field of fluorination were enabled most prominently by organo- and transition-metal catalysis. The most challenging transformation remains the formation of the parent C-F bond, primarily as a consequence of the high hydration energy of fluoride, strong metal-fluorine bonds, and highly polarized bonds to fluorine. Most fluorination reactions still lack generality, predictability, and cost-efficiency. Despite all current limitations, modern fluorination methods have made fluorinated molecules more readily available than ever before and have begun to have an impact on research areas that do not require large amounts of material, such as drug discovery and positron emission tomography. This Review gives a brief summary of conventional fluorination reactions, including those reactions that introduce fluorinated functional groups, and focuses on modern developments in the field.

1,897 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This Perspective highlights the unique ability of photoredox catalysis to expedite the development of completely new reaction mechanisms, with particular emphasis placed on multicatalytic strategies that enable the construction of challenging carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds.
Abstract: In recent years, photoredox catalysis has come to the forefront in organic chemistry as a powerful strategy for the activation of small molecules. In a general sense, these approaches rely on the ability of metal complexes and organic dyes to convert visible light into chemical energy by engaging in single-electron transfer with organic substrates, thereby generating reactive intermediates. In this Perspective, we highlight the unique ability of photoredox catalysis to expedite the development of completely new reaction mechanisms, with particular emphasis placed on multicatalytic strategies that enable the construction of challenging carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom bonds.

1,808 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This Review summarizes dual-catalyst strategies that have been applied to synthetic photochemistry, and focuses upon the cooperative interactions of photocatalysts with redox mediators, Lewis and Brønsted acids, organocatalyst, enzymes, and transition metal complexes.
Abstract: The interaction between an electronically excited photocatalyst and an organic molecule can result in the genertion of a diverse array of reactive intermediates that can be manipulated in a variety of ways to result in synthetically useful bond constructions. This Review summarizes dual-catalyst strategies that have been applied to synthetic photochemistry. Mechanistically distinct modes of photocatalysis are discussed, including photoinduced electron transfer, hydrogen atom transfer, and energy transfer. We focus upon the cooperative interactions of photocatalysts with redox mediators, Lewis and Bronsted acids, organocatalysts, enzymes, and transition metal complexes.

1,744 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It would, therefore, appear that direct functionalization of substrates by activation of C-H bonds would eliminate the multiple steps and limitations associated with the preparation of functionalized starting materials.
Abstract: C-H bonds are ubiquitous in organic compounds. It would, therefore, appear that direct functionalization of substrates by activation of C-H bonds would eliminate the multiple steps and limitations associated with the preparation of functionalized starting materials. Regioselectivity is an important issue because organic molecules can contain a wide variety of C-H bonds. The use of a directing group can largely overcome the issue of regiocontrol by allowing the catalyst to come into proximity with the targeted C-H bonds. A wide variety of functional groups have been evaluated for use as directing groups in the transformation of C-H bonds. In 2005, Daugulis reported the arylation of unactivated C(sp(3))-H bonds by using 8-aminoquinoline and picolinamide as bidentate directing groups, with Pd(OAc)2 as the catalyst. Encouraged by these promising results, a number of transformations of C-H bonds have since been developed by using systems based on bidentate directing groups. In this Review, recent advances in this area are discussed.

1,719 citations