Capturing elusive alkenyl radicals in the Wharton reaction and its interrupted cyclization
Abstract
, and a vinyl cyclopropane radical clock. These experiments furnish the first unambiguous chemical evidence for the generation of alkenyl radicals and effectively rule out the alkenyl anion pathway. Furthermore, we discovered an interrupted Wharton reaction in which the alkenyl radicals are efficiently intercepted by tethered arenes under the standard Wharton reaction conditions, leading to novel cyclized products. These cycloadducts offer valuable intermediates for the total synthesis of polycyclic diarylheptanoid musellarins.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Radical Photochemical Reactions
Oxidative Organic Chemistry Reactions
Asymmetric Synthesis and Catalysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Chemical Science
- Publisher
- Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 22
- Pages
- 11035–11041
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN