Direct Photoexcitation Enables Nickel-Catalyzed C(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) Coupling of α-Bromonitriles with Alkylzirconocenes

Organic Letters 2026

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Authors: Jianru Xie, Jianguo Han, Xiushan Liu, Huifeng Yue
DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.6c00085
Cited by: 1
References: 40

Abstract

We report a visible-light-mediated nickel-catalyzed C(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) cross-coupling between α-bromonitriles and alkylzirconocene reagents enabled by a direct photoexcitation strategy. Alkyl radicals are generated from in situ formed alkylzirconocenes under visible-light irradiation and efficiently incorporated into a nickel catalytic cycle to forge C(sp 3 )–C(sp 3 ) bonds under mild conditions. The reaction accommodates a range of α-bromonitriles and alkene-derived alkyl fragments, and its synthetic utility is demonstrated by scale-up experiments and downstream derivatizations.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Radical Photochemical Reactions Catalytic C–H Functionalization Methods Catalytic Cross-Coupling Reactions

Publication details

Journal / source
Organic Letters
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
28
Issue
7
Pages
2415–2420
Publication date
9 February 2026
Language
EN