Davide Ravelli

Carbon–Carbon Bond Forming Reactions via Photogenerated Intermediates

The present review offers an overview of the current approaches for the photochemical and photocatalytic generation of reactive intermediates and their application in the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. Valuable synthetic targets are accessible, including arylation processes, formation of both carbo- and heterocycles, alpha- and beta-functionalization of carbonyls, and addition reactions onto double and triple bonds. According to the recent advancements in the field of visible/solar light catalysis, a significant part of the literature reported herein involves radical ions and radicals as key intermediates, with particular attention to the most recent examples. Synthetic application of carbenes, biradicals/radical pairs and carbocations have been also reported.

Dyes as Visible Light Photoredox Organocatalysts

Light-driven reactions are of crucial importance for the existence of mankind on Earth. In the aim to exploit photons for synthetic purposes, photocatalysis has recently proven to be a powerful method to perform several organic reactions including oxidations, reductions, valuable C C bond formation reactions, and many others. The photocatalyst (PC, Scheme 1) in the excited state (PC*) is able to activate one of the reagents by means of a chemical reaction, such as an atom or electron transfer process.

Sunlight photocatalyzed regioselective β-alkylation and acylation of cyclopentanones

Sunlight-induced direct regioselective β-alkylation of cyclopentanones with electron-deficient alkenes was accomplished by using tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) as the catalyst. The regiochemistry can be rationalized by a polar transition state for an SH2 reaction. In the presence of CO, the reaction gave the three-component β-acylation product in good yield.

Photocatalytic CH Activation by Hydrogen‐Atom Transfer in Synthesis

This minireview encompasses the most recent (since 2010) advancements in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen‐atom transfer (HAT) processes for CH bond functionalization. The direct HAT process promoted from the excited state of a photocatalyst is limited to the classes of polyoxometalates and aromatic ketones, but alternative photocatalytic strategies have recently been devised to alleviate this shortcoming, making use of indirect HAT reactions. The applications of these two approaches in organic synthesis, including the formation of CC, as well as Chalogen, CO (CO), and CN bonds, are presented herein.

Efficient C–H/C–N and C–H/C–CO–N Conversion via Decatungstate-Photoinduced Alkylation of Diisopropyl Azodicarboxylate

Tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) accelerated the addition of C-H bonds to the N═N double bond of diisopropyl azodicarboxylate (DIAD) under irradiation conditions. The photoinduced three-component coupling between cyclic alkanes, CO, and DIAD was also achieved to give the corresponding acyl hydrazides.

Smooth Photocatalytic Preparation of 2‐Substituted 1,3‐Benzodioxoles

A mild and general method for the synthesis of potentially bioactive 2-substituted-1,3-benzodioxoles is presented. This is based on the photocatalyzed activation of methylene hydrogen atoms in the presence of tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT). The method gave yields ranging from 46-77 % with no interference by benzene ring substituents, such as OR, COOMe, Me, or CHO. The OH group interfered, but protection regenerated the reactivity. 5-Chloro-1,3-benzodioxole was converted into a safrole derivative through a one-pot process involving two consecutive irradiations, at 366 nm for the photocatalyzed alkylation at position 2 and at 310 nm for the alkylation at position 5.

Photoinduced Multicomponent Reactions

The combination of multicomponent approaches with light-driven processes opens up new scenarios in the area of synthetic organic chemistry, where the need for sustainable, atom- and energy-efficient reactions is increasingly urgent. Photoinduced multicomponent reactions are still in their infancy, but significant developments in this area are expected in the near future.

Decatungstate As Photoredox Catalyst: Benzylation of Electron-Poor Olefins

Excited tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT), known to activate a variety of compounds via hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), has now been applied as a photoredox catalyst for the effective oxidative cleavage of benzyl silanes and radical benzylation of reducible olefins occurring in isolated yields from poor to excellent.

Photochemical technologies assessed: the case of rose oxide

The environmental burdens of the synthesis of rose oxide have been evaluated by means of green metrics (EATOS, LCA) applied to six thermal and photochemical processes. The contributions of supplied energy, employed chemicals (including solvents and additives) and waste disposal have been investigated. The results pointed out that the methods used for the assessment suffered from important limitations. At any rate, the photochemical alternative for this synthesis clearly has the advantage.

Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT): A Versatile Strategy for Substrate Activation in Photocatalyzed Organic Synthesis

The adoption of hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) in a photocatalytic approach, in which an excited catalyst is responsible for substrate activation, offers unique opportunities in organic synthesis, enabling the straightforward activation of R–H (R = C, Si, S) bonds in desired reagents. Either a direct strategy, based on the intrinsic reactivity of a limited number of photocatalysts in the excited state, or an indirect one, in which a photocatalytic cycle is used for the generation of a thermal hydrogen abstractor, can be exploited. This microreview summarizes the most recent advances (mainly from the last two years) in this rapidly developing area of research, collecting the selected examples according to the nature of the species promoting the HAT process. From the synthetic point of view, this area has led to the development of a plethora of strategies for C–C, C–Si, C–N, C–S, and C–halogen (particularly, fluorine) bond formation, as well as for oxidation reactions.