Correction: A dual photoredox-nickel strategy for remote functionalization via iminyl radicals: radical ring-opening-arylation, -vinylation and -alkylation cascades.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C9SC02616A.].

A dual photoredox-nickel strategy for remote functionalization via iminyl radicals: radical ring-opening-arylation, -vinylation and -alkylation cascades.

A divergent strategy for the remote arylation, vinylation and alkylation of nitriles is described. These processes proceed through the photoredox generation of a cyclic iminyl radical and its following ring-opening reaction. The distal nitrile radical is then engaged in nickel-based catalytic cycles to form C-C bonds with aryl bromides, alkynes and alkyl bromides.

Photoinduced Remote Functionalization of Amides and Amines Using Electrophilic Nitrogen Radicals.

The selective functionalization of C(sp3 )-H bonds at distal positions to functional groups is a challenging task in synthetic chemistry. Reported here is a photoinduced radical cascade strategy for the divergent functionalization of amides and protected amines. The process is based on the oxidative generation of electrophilic amidyl radicals and their subsequent transposition by 1,5-H-atom transfer, resulting in remote fluorination, chlorination and, for the first time, thioetherification, cyanation, and alkynylation. The process is tolerant of most common functional groups and delivers useful building blocks that can be further elaborated. The utility of this strategy is demonstrated through the late-stage functionalization of amino acids and a dipeptide.

Photoinduced Remote Functionalisations by Iminyl Radical Promoted C-C and C-H Bond Cleavage Cascades.

A photoinduced cascade strategy leading to a variety of differentially functionalised nitriles and ketones has been developed. These reactions rely on the oxidative generation of iminyl radicals from simple oximes. Radical transposition by C(sp3 )-(sp3 ) and C(sp3 )-H bond cleavage gives access to distal carbon radicals that undergo SH 2 functionalisations. These mild, visible-light-mediated procedures can be used for remote fluorination, chlorination, and azidation, and were applied to the modification of bioactive and structurally complex molecules.

C2-Alkenylation of N-heteroaromatic compounds via Brønsted acid catalysis.

Substituted heteroaromatic compounds, especially those based on pyridine, hold a privileged position within drug discovery and medicinal chemistry. However, functionalisation of the C2 position of 6-membered heteroarenes is challenging because of (a) the difficulties of installing a halogen at this site and (b) the instability of C2 heteroaryl-metal reagents. Here we show that C2-alkenylated heteroaromatics can be accessed by simple Brønsted acid catalysed union of diverse heteroarene N-oxides with alkenes. The approach is notable because (a) it is operationally simple, (b) the Brønsted acid catalyst is cheap, non-toxic and sustainable, (c) the N-oxide activator disappears during the reaction, and (d) water is the sole stoichiometric byproduct of the process. The new protocol offers orthogonal functional group tolerance to metal-catalysed methods and can be integrated easily into synthetic sequences to provide polyfunctionalised targets. In broader terms, this study demonstrates how classical organic reactivity can still be used to provide solutions to contemporary synthetic challenges that might otherwise be approached using transition metal catalysis.