Metal-Free Activation of C-I Bonds and Perfluoroalkylation of Alkenes with Visible Light Using Phosphine Catalysts.

An efficient metal-free, photomediated iodo perfluoroalkylation under mild conditions was developed. Using catalytic amounts (10 mol %) of phosphines and blue light irradiation, various olefins are transformed into the corresponding addition products within short reaction times. For this purpose, a modular and convenient 3D printed photoreactor was constructed, which is presented as an open source model. The reaction presumably proceeds upon generation of perfluoroalkyl radicals, which are formed by catalyst-induced absorption enhancement.

Total Synthesis of (+)-Mesembrine Applying Asymmetric Gold Catalysis.

The total synthesis of enantiomerically pure (+)-mesembrine is described. The central pyrrolidine moiety incorporating a quaternary, all-carbon-substituted stereocenter was constructed employing an asymmetric gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization of a 1,4-diynamide.