Copper(I)‐Catalyzed Acid‐Controlled Divergent Radical Cyclization of 1,6‐Enynes to Access 1‐Indanones and 1H‐Cyclopropa[<i>b</i>] Naphthalene‐2,7‐diones
1-Indanone derivatives are efficiently synthesized via a radical cyclization reaction of 1,6-enynes, using TBHP as both oxidant and reactant, in the presence of Cu(I) as the catalyst and 4-methyl benzoic acid as the cocatalyst. Notably, in the absence of 4-methyl benzoic acid, the reaction undergoes a dramatic shift in product selectivity, yielding 1H‑cyclopropa[b]naphthalene-2,7-diones exclusively under the same conditions, with Cu(I) acting as the sole catalyst. This transformation offers key advantages, including operational simplicity, cost-effective and readily available materials, scalability to gram quantities, and compatibility with a wide range of functional groups. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations confirmed that the reaction proceeds through a radical pathway, highlighting the pivotal role of 4-methylbenzoic acid as the cocatalyst in altering product selectivity.
Authors
- Alireza Ariafard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2383-6380)
- Saideh Rajai‐Daryasarei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0418-2211)
- Saeed Balalaie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5764-0442)
- Frank Röminger
- Robert Stranger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6331-972X)
- E. Jamshidi
Institutions
- Australian National University (AU)
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- New Generation University College (ET)
- National University College (PR)
- K. N. Toosi University of Technology (IR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Chemistry - A European Journal
- Published
- 2025-04-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202501015
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Catalytic C–H Functionalization Methods
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.81
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
- Iran National Science Foundation