Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.135, No.27, 10022-10025, 2013
Catalytic Ketyl-Olefin Cyclizations Enabled by Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer
Concerted proton-coupled electron transfer is a key mechanism of substrate activation in biological redox catalysis. However, its applications in organic synthesis remain largely unexplored. Herein, we report the development of a new catalytic protocol for ketyl-olefin coupling and present evidence to support concerted proton-coupled electron transfer being the operative mechanism of ketyl formation. Notably, reaction outcomes were correctly predicted by a simple thermodynamic formalism relating the oxidation potentials and pK(a) values of specific Bronsted acid/reductant combinations to their capacity to act jointly as a formal hydrogen atom donor.