Photoredox and Nickel-Catalyzed Radical Coupling for Asymmetric Organic Synthesis
This community develops catalytic methods that use light and transition metals to form carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds, specifically enabling the construction of complex, chiral molecules from simple, unactivated starting materials.
The work centers on the merger of photoredox catalysis and transition metal catalysis, particularly nickel, to drive radical reactions. Recurring themes include the functionalization of unactivated alkenes, terminal alkynes, and alkyl halides through cross-coupling and reductive coupling pathways. A significant portion of the research focuses on enantioselective and asymmetric synthesis, utilizing dual catalysis systems to control stereochemistry. Common substrates include aryl halides, carboxylic acids, and boronic esters, with methods often involving hydrogen atom transfer and atom transfer processes to generate reactive radical intermediates.
The largest share of the community's output is found in nickel research, accounting for 1.7% of all nickel research, and 3,236 papers here. Palladium research also represents a significant portion, with 2.2% of all palladium research and 1,936 papers in this group.
The community comprises 22,107 papers, publishing most frequently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Organic Letters, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Recent work continues to explore the mechanistic limits of photocatalysis, including ligand-to-metal charge transfer processes and the synthesis of strained ring systems like bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes and azabicycloalkanes. Newer studies also examine the use of thianthrene chemistry and the generation of alkyl and aryl radicals from boronic acids via electron donor-acceptor complex photoactivation.