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Metal-free photocatalytic cross-electrophile coupling enables C1 homologation and alkylation of carboxylic acids with aldehydes

  • Stefano Bonciolini
  • , Antonio Pulcinella
  • , Matteo Leone
  • , Deborah Schiroli
  • , Adrian Luguera Ruiz
  • , Andrea Sorato
  • , Maryne A.J. Dubois
  • , Ranganath Gopalakrishnan
  • , Geraldine Masson
  • , Nicola Della Ca'
  • , Stefano Protti
  • , Maurizio Fagnoni
  • , Eli Zysman-Colman
  • , Magnus Johansson
  • , Timothy Noël*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In contemporary drug discovery, enhancing the sp3-hybridized character of molecular structures is paramount, necessitating innovative synthetic methods. Herein, we introduce a deoxygenative cross-electrophile coupling technique that pairs easily accessible carboxylic acid-derived redox-active esters with aldehyde sulfonyl hydrazones, employing Eosin Y as an organophotocatalyst under visible light irradiation. This approach serves as a versatile, metal-free C(sp3)−C(sp3) cross-coupling platform. We demonstrate its synthetic value as a safer, broadly applicable C1 homologation of carboxylic acids, offering an alternative to the traditional Arndt-Eistert reaction. Additionally, our method provides direct
access to cyclic and acyclic β-arylethylamines using diverse aldehyde-derived sulfonyl hydrazones. Notably, the methodology proves to be compatible with the late-stage functionalization of peptides on solid-phase, streamlining the modification of intricate peptides without the need for exhaustive de-novo
synthesis.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1509
Number of pages9
JournalNature Communications
Volume15
Early online date19 Feb 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 19 Feb 2024

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