Visible light-promoted strategies were developed for the synthesis of gem-dihaloenones using alkynes and polyhalomethanes as the starting materials. The methods produce a broad range of gem-dibromoenones and gem-dichloroenones without using...

The first examples of highly effective Henry reactions between nitroalkanes and aldehydes or trifluoromethyl ketones that proceed under catalyst-free and additive-free conditions, in a recyclable tap-water medium, and at room temperature are reported herein. This process tolerates a broad range of aldehydes and trifluoromethyl ketones to give a series of β-nitroalcohol products in excellent yields. Such products are widely used in the syntheses of pharmaceutical intermediates and natural products. This protocol can be successfully scaled up to a 50 mmol scale without reduction in yield. Tap water from different locations in China exhibited pH values ranging from 7.5 to 8.1, but the varying pH had no effect on the yield and the processes were successfully reproduced. Finally, the tap water was effectively recovered and reused without any post-processing, even when the reaction substrates were different.

A variety of strategies for direct alkoxylation of the benzyl C−H bond have been developed toward the construction of benzyl ethers. The light-induced benzyl C−H bond alkoxylation provides an alternative strategy for the synthesis of these important intermediates. The photocatalyzed alkoxylation of the benzyl C−H bond has dominated by metal-catalyzed methods. Herein, we reported a light-driven organocatalytic approach for alkoxylation of the benzyl C−H bond by the use of 9,10-dibromoanthracene as a photocatalyst and employing N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide as an oxidant. This reaction proceeds at room temperature and is capable of converting a variety of alkyl biphenyl and coupling partners, including a variety of alcohol and carboxylic acid, as well as peroxide, to the desired products under 400 nm light irradiation.