Mild Photochemical Reduction of Alkenes and Heterocycles via Thiol-Mediated Formate Activation.

The reduction of alkenes to their respective alkanes is one of the most important transformations in organic chemistry, given the abundance of natural and commercial olefins. Metal-catalyzed hydrogenation is the most common way to reduce alkenes; however, the use of H gas in combination with the precious metals required for these conditions can be impractical, dangerous, and expensive. More complex substrates often require extremely high pressures of H, further emphasizing the safety concerns associated with these hydrogenation reactions.