We are delighted to announce that our article has been published in Organic Synthesis. While this journal may not have the highest ranking, we believe our work offers exceptional value, far surpassing many papers found in so-called “high-impact” journals. 

Why? The synthetic procedures we developed have been independently reproduced and their reproducibility confirmed by the research group of Darren J. Dixon. Such independent verification is increasingly rare in today’s scientific publishing landscape, even among articles from “prestigious” journals and leading research teams.

Abstract: A general method for photoelectrochemical site-selective α- and β-C(sp3)−H alkenylation of amines with vinyl bromides has been developed. Regioselective activation of inert C–H bonds is achieved by intramolecular hydrogen atom abstraction (HAT) by an oxidatively generated aryl radical. Depending on the HAT directing group attached to the amines' N-atom, either 1,5- or 1,6-H-atom transposition occurred, leading to regioisomeric carbon-centered radical species. C-radicals thus formed at the α/β-position of the amines' functionality undergo radical cross-coupling with Ni complex-activated vinyl bromide to provide the corresponding α- or β-functionalized amines.  

Abstract: A photoredox-catalysed protocol for allylamine hydrocarbamoylation under metal-free and mild conditions is reported. The proposed method utilises readily accessible 4-carboxyamido Hantzsch esters as convenient substrates that deliver carbamoyl radicals upon a visible light-mediated SET process. Their addition to various allylamines proceeds with good-to-excellent efficiency and with high levels of regio- and chemoselectivity to provide the corresponding γ-amino acid amides 

Abstract: We disclose a new photochemical process to prepare γ-amino acids from allylamines and formic acid salts. The investigated redox-neutral hydrocarboxylation process produces high yields across a wide range of functionalised allylamine substrates with excellent regioselectivity. The developed operationally simple protocol can be readily scaled with low photocatalyst loading (from 1% up to 0.02 mol%) without the need for any precautions to exclude air or moisture. The mechanistic working model utilizes a thiol-catalyzed radical chain process, delivering the hydrogen atom and CO₂ from formic acid salt across the alkene substrate through the carboxylate radical (CO₂•-), a crucial reactive intermediate. 

Abstract: Among the methods of synthesizing the β-lactam ring, the copper(I)-mediated reaction between a nitrone and a terminal alkyne in the presence of an organic base is a remarkably simple and direct strategy. This transformation, known as the Kinugasa reaction, is a cascade process that involves a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a copper acetylide onto the nitrone, followed by a rearrangement step. Initially reported in 1972, this reaction stereoselectively allows access to cis-substituted β-lactam products. Achiral, diastereoselective, and catalytic enantioselective versions of the Kinugasa reaction have been described, both in inter- and intramolecular contexts. To date, only aldimine-derived nitrones have been demonstrated in the reaction.

Abstract: We report a convenient two-step approach to α-amino ketones involving cross-coupling and oxidative cleavage. The cross-coupling reaction creates a divergent functionalization of the molecular platform, e.g., N-(2-bromoallyl)amine, whereas the oxidative cleavage establishes the carbonyl functionality. This strategy allows for an introduction of aryl/heteroaryl and alkyl groups, either through the Suzuki reaction with arylboronic acids or via dual photoredox/Ni-catalysis to install alkyl groups. The oxidative cleavage to provide target α-amino ketones can be realized either by treating with ozone or by employing milder photochemical protocols involving oxygen or photoexcited nitroarenes as oxidants. We successfully demonstrate the scalability of this protocol, which, together with its simplicity, generality, and its ability to provide access to amino ketones that are inaccessible through other strategies, highlights the suitability of this approach for a wide range of applications across the different chemical sciences.