Sulfoxylate as a Redox Activator for Photoinduced Generation of Ketyl Radicals from Carbonyls

Ketyl radicals are valuable intermediates that allow carbonyl chemistry to be extended beyond traditional electrophilic reactivity. However, accessing them by single-electron reduction of carbonyls requires strongly reducing conditions. This talk will focus on our development of an alternative strategy to access ketyl radicals from aldehydes that avoids the reduction pathway, instead proceeding via single-electron oxidation and desulfination of in situ-generated α-hydroxy sulfinates.