Carbene-catalysed reductive coupling of nitrobenzyl bromides and activated ketones or imines via single-electron-transfer process

Abstract

Benzyl bromides can be activated for radical reactions by photocatalytic single electron transfer. Here the authors show thatN-heterocyclic carbenes are also capable of activating this pathway for nitrobenzyl bromides, and that the radical intermediates can add to the carbonyl group of ketones.