Benzyl bromides and related molecules are among the most common substrates in organic synthesis. They are typically used as electrophiles in nucleophilic substitution reactions. These molecules can also be activated via single-electron-transfer (SET) process for radical reactions. Representative recent progress includes α-carbon benzylation of ketones and aldehydes via photoredox catalysis. Her...

1,4-Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) has been evaluated as a starting material for the synthesis of 1-alkyl-4-(2-phenoxyethyl)piperazines and related derivatives. We found that 1-alkyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octan-1-ium salts, resulting from the alkylation of DABCO, efficiently react with a variety of nucleophiles in polyethyleneglycol (PEG) or diglyme at high temperatures to give piperazine p...

Nature routinely engages alcohols as leaving groups, as DNA biosynthesis relies on the removal of water from ribonucleoside diphosphates by a radical-mediated "spin-center shift" (SCS) mechanism. Alcohols, however, remain underused as alkylating agents in synthetic chemistry due to their low reactivity in two-electron pathways. We report herein an enantioselective α-benzylation of aldehydes usi...

Two independent syntheses of the new centrotetraindan 2, a "trifuso", C,-symmetrical isomer of fenestrindan 1, are described. The first approach is based on the "endo"-phenyldiindanone 7, which is converted into 2 by benzylation to ketone 8 and subsequent cyclodehydration with polyphoshoric acid. The second, more efficient approach is based on the diindandione 17, which is converted into ketol ...