2022 Theses Doctoral

Enabling Organic Methodology through Photoredox Catalysis

Treacy, Sean Michael

Organic methods development has long dictated the molecular scaffolds available to the pharmaceutical and fine chemical synthesis industries. Photoredox catalysis has emerged as a powerful platform to enable novel reactivity with visible light irradiation through triplet sensitization and single-electron transfer. New methods involving radical intermediates are now readily accessible from countless starting materials through the application of these catalysts. Much of my work has utilized established photoredox platforms to enable both nickel catalyzed remote cross-coupling of primary amines via 1,5 hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) and formal [3+2] synthesis of γ-lactams through triplet sensitization.

My further work focuses on the application of ligand-to-metal charge transfer catalysis with cupric chloride and ferric chloride salts towards the alkylation of alkanes through the catalytic generation of chlorine radical to enable HAT. These studies expand photoredox catalysis to inner sphere mechanisms with abundant base-metal salts to enable redox chemistry at reduced electrochemical potentials.