A zerovalent copper- and cobalt-catalyzed direct coupling of the sp(3) α-carbon of alcohols with alkenes and hydroperoxides was developed in which the hydroperoxides acted as radical initiator and then coupling partner. 1,3-Enynes and vinylarenes underwent alkylation-peroxidation to give β-peroxy alcohols and β-hydroxyketones correspondingly with excellent functional group tolerance. The resulting β-peroxy alcohols could be further transformed into β-hydroxyynones and propargylic 1,3-diols.

A convenient photoredox‐catalyzed defluorinative trifluoromethylation of α‐trifluoromethyl alkenes and gem‐difluoroalkenes is developed. The reactions proceeded efficiently via trifluoromethyl radical addition followed by β‐fluorine elimination process, providing a new entry to multifluorinated alkenes in moderate to good yields with excellent stereoselectivity.magnified image

The robustness of iron catalysis enabling the oxidative coupling reactions of enamides with formamides is described. Routing from readily accessible feedstocks, the efficient approach is implemented to furnish a broad array of value-added N-acyl enamine amide derivatives, which serve as versatile precursors of biologically relevant N-heterocycles including pyrimidin-4-ones and 4-hydroxypyridin-2-ones. Preliminary mechanistic studies supported the notion that this direct carbamoylation reaction proceeded through an aminoacyl radical species.

A reaction protocol in which FeCl and tert-butyl hydroperoxide facilitated a selective radical coupling reaction of aryl alkenes or 1,3-enynes with tert-butyl hydroperoxide and formamides to prepare an array of β-peroxy amides has been achieved. The β-peroxy amide could serve as a synthetic precursor which was facilely converted to β-hydroxy amide, β-keto amide and β-lactam following subsequent chemical transformation.

3 -carbon of alcohols with 1,3-enynes or styrenes in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide as both radical initiator and coupling partner is described. In the case of styrenes (IX), the peroxy substituted primary products are instable and instantly converted to the corresponding -hydroxy ketones. -(CHENG, J.-K.; LOH*, T.-P.; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137 (2015) 1, 42-45, http://dx.