Thermally Induced Carbohydroxylation of Styrenes with Aryldiazonium Salts.

The radical carbohydroxylation of styrenes with aryldiazonium salts has been achieved under mild thermal conditions. A broad range of aryldiazonium salts was tolerated, and the reaction principle based on a radical-polar crossover mechanism could be extended to carboetherification as well as to a two-step, metal-free variant of the Meerwein arylation leading to stilbenes.

Base-Induced Radical Carboamination of Nonactivated Alkenes with Aryldiazonium Salts.

A new transition-metal-free version of the Meerwein arylation has been developed. The key feature of this carboamination-type reaction is the slow base-controlled generation of aryl radicals from aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, so that a sufficient quantity of diazonium ions remains to enable efficient trapping of the alkyl radical adduct resulting from aryl radical addition to the alkene. Under strongly basic conditions, diazoanhydrides are likely to take over the role of the nitrogen-centered radical scavengers.

Switching and Conformational Fixation of Amides Through Proximate Positive Charges.

Tertiary amides, which usually occur as cis/trans mixtures, can be effectively shifted to the cis conformation by placing a positive charge in close proximity to the amide carbonyl. This effect was used to prepare cis-configured prolyl amides and to facilitate a strongly rotamer-dependent radical cyclization.