Metal-Free Visible-Light Induced Oxidative Cleavage of C(sp )-C, and C(sp )-N Bonds of Nitriles, Alcohols, and Amines.

Selective cleavage of unstrained (sp ) C-C/ C-N bonds under mild conditions is highly challenging due to the higher bond dissociation energy. A visible light mediated metal-free oxidative dehomologation of aryl acetonitriles, primary alcohols and diols to carboxylic acids via organophotocatalyzed C(sp )-CN, C(sp )-C(OH) bond cleavage is reported. Notably, this methodology was further extended towards selective synthesis of aldehydes via deamination of both primary as well as secondary amines.

Activation of Ethanol via Conjunction of a Photocatalyst and a HAT Reagent for the Synthesis of Benzimidazoles.

The transformation of ethanol to value-added chemicals has tremendous potential. However, generally, harsh reaction conditions are needed for the functionalization of ethanol due to its high dehydrogenation energy. Herein, a metal-free photo-mediated activation of challenging ethanol and higher aliphatic alcohols for the synthesis of differently functionalized benzimidazoles under mild conditions is disclosed.

Tandem synthesis of -methylated tertiary amines three-component coupling of carbonyl compounds, amines, and methanol.

An Ir-catalyzed tandem synthesis of various -methylated tertiary amines from three-component coupling of carbonyl compounds, amines, and methanol following reductive amination/-methylation is reported for the first time. A wide array of substrates with tolerance of different functional groups was demonstrated. The protocol was extended to the synthesis of -methyl containing pharmaceutically important drug molecules.

Water as a solvent: transition metal catalyzed dehydrogenation of alcohols going green.

The long-established practice of using organic solvents in synthetic chemistry is currently becoming a major focus of environmental alarms as many of the chemical wastes are generated in the form of organic solvents. Recently, various alternative solvents have been recognized by the scientific community, including water, ionic liquids, supercritical fluids, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, . Among these alternatives, water is unquestionably an ideal solvent as it is abundant, cheap, non-toxic, and non-flammable.

-Selective C3- and N-Alkylation of Indolines in Water under Air Using Alcohols.

We disclosed a -selective C-H and N-H bond functionalization of indolines using alcohols in water tandem dehydrogenation of -heterocycles and alcohols. A diverse range of N- and C3-alkylated indolines/indoles were accessed utilizing a new cooperative iridium catalyst. The practical applicability of this methodology was demonstrated by the preparative-scale synthesis and synthesis of a psychoactive drug, ,-dimethyltryptamine.

Reductive Alkylation of Azides and Nitroarenes with Alcohols: A Selective Route to Mono- and Dialkylated Amines.

Herein, we demonstrated an efficient protocol for reductive alkylation of azides/nitro compounds via a borrowing hydrogen (BH) method. By following this protocol, selective mono- and dialkylated amines were obtained under mild and solvent-free conditions. A series of control experiments and deuterium-labeling experiments were performed to understand this catalytic process.