Organophotocatalytic Alkene Reduction Using Water as a Hydrogen Donor

Org Lett. 2023 Oct 27;25(42):7633-7638. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c02920. Epub 2023 Oct 16.

Abstract

The chemical activation and functionalization of water are considered an ideal method for converting earth-abundant sources into valuable chemicals. Here, we show that a non-activated free water molecule can be applied directly as a hydrogen donor to achieve the carbanion-mediated alkene reduction with 9-HTXTF serving as an organophotocatalyst. Notably, direct syntheses of high-value-added drugs and bioactive molecules are readily achieved by utilizing plentiful energy and an earth-abundant resource, showcasing the usefulness of the protocol in chemical synthesis.