Light-Driven Organocatalytic Birch Reduction for Late-Stage Drug Modification and sp 3 -Rich Spirocycle Synthesis

Journal of the American Chemical Society 2026 Open access

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Authors: Florian Schiel, Luca di Martile, Roberta Coccia, Andrea Palone, Magdalena Medrzycka, Laura Kqiku, Paulo Neves, Nunzio Matera, Antonio Misale, Paolo Melchiorre
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c17373
Cited by: 12
References: 37

Abstract

The Birch reduction is a cornerstone transformation in synthetic chemistry, yet its widespread application is limited by harsh conditions, poor functional group tolerance, and safety concerns. Recent photochemical strategies have offered milder alternatives but have largely been restricted to polycyclic arenes ( E red ∼ −2.6 V vs SCE) and poorly suited for complex molecules of pharmaceutical relevance. Here, we report a practical organocatalytic system that enables Birch-type reductions of electron-rich benzenes ( E red =

Fields of Study & Subjects

Radical Photochemical Reactions Catalytic C–H Functionalization Methods Organoboron and organosilicon chemistry

Publication details

Journal / source
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
148
Issue
5
Pages
5202–5210
Publication date
27 January 2026
Language
EN