Vicinal disubstitution of alkyl C-X synthons via alkene radical cation generation.

Vicinal disubstitution of alkyl C-X synthons is achieved via alkene radical cation generation, enabling 1,2-difunctionalization with broad nucleophile compatibility.

• Why it matters: This approach addresses the challenge of functionalizing adjacent carbons in organic synthesis, expanding the toolkit beyond traditional single-site substitutions and enabling more complex molecular architectures.
• What they did: The team used a photoredox-triggered hydrogen-atom abstraction and spin-center shift process to generate alkene radical cations from monofunctional C(sp3)-X handles, facilitating electrophilic shuttling and vicinal disubstitution.
• The result: The method allows the construction of bisazole and other nucleophile-based adducts, transforming alkyl C-X scaffolds into versatile precursors for building vicinal complexity and nonintuitive molecular structures.