Cyanine-based near infra-red organic photoredox catalysis.

Direct metal-free near infra-red photoredox catalysis is applied to organic oxidation, photosensitization and reduction, involving cyanines as photocatalysts. This photocatalyst is competitive with conventional reactions catalyzed under visible light. Kinetic and quenching experiments are also reported.

Polymeric Iodonium Salts to Trigger Free Radical Photopolymerization.

In a significant breakthrough from classical molecular (i.e., nonpolymeric) iodonium salts in light-induced photochemistry, the synthesis and use of new safer polymeric iodonium salts are reported here.

1-Aryl-2-(triisopropylsilyl)ethane-1,2-diones: Toward a New Class of Visible Type I Photoinitiators for Free Radical Polymerization of Methacrylates.

1-Aryl-2-(triisopropylsilyl)ethane-1,2-diones (SEDs) are proposed here as a new class of visible Type I photoinitiators (PIs) for free radical polymerization under air upon exposure to blue (@455 nm) and green (@520 nm) LEDs. Remarkably, these new systems present good polymerization performances and excellent bleaching properties compared to camphorquinone-based systems, and transparent polymers are obtained upon visible light irradiation. Real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is used to monitor the polymerization profiles.

Palladium-Catalyzed ipso-Borylation of Aryl Sulfides with Diborons.

A catalytic Miyaura-type ipso-borylation of aryl sulfides with diboron reagents has been achieved, providing arylboronate esters of synthetic use. The key conditions to transform inherently reluctant C-S bonds into C-B bonds include a palladium-NHC (N-heterocyclic carbene) precatalyst, bis(pinacolato)diboron, and lithium hexamethyldisilazide. This protocol is applicable to a reasonable range of aryl alkyl sulfides.

Pd-NHC-Catalyzed Alkynylation of General Aryl Sulfides with Alkynyl Grignard Reagents.

Cross-coupling reactions of unactivated aryl sulfides with alkynylmagnesium chloride have been invented to afford 1-aryl-1-alkynes with the aid of a palladium/N-heterocyclic carbene complex. This reaction has by far the widest scope of all transformations utilizing aryl sulfides and alkynes, while known cross-coupling alkynylations of aryl-sulfur electrophiles require activated azaaryl sulfides, thiolactams, or arenesulfonyl chlorides. The alkynylation of aryl sulfides is compatible with typical protecting functional groups.