Bioinspired desaturation of alcohols enabled by photoredox proton-coupled electron transfer and cobalt dual catalysis

Long Huang (), Tengfei Ji, Chen Zhu, Huifeng Yue, Nursaya Zhumabay and Magnus Rueping ()
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Long Huang: RWTH Aachen University
Tengfei Ji: RWTH Aachen University
Chen Zhu: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Huifeng Yue: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Nursaya Zhumabay: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Magnus Rueping: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract In the biosynthesis sterols an enzyme-catalyzed demethylation is achieved via a stepwise oxidative transformation of alcohols to olefins. The overall demethylation proceeds through two sequential monooxygenation reactions and a subsequent dehydroformylative saturation. To mimic the desaturation processes observed in nature, we have successfully integrated photoredox proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) and cobaloxime chemistry for the acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols. The state-of-the-art remote and precise desaturation of ketones proceeds efficiently through the activation of cyclic alcohols using bond-dissociation free energy (BDFE) as thermodynamic driving force. The resulting transient alkoxyl radical allows C-C bond scission to generate the carbon-centered radical remote to the carbonyl moiety. This key intermediate is subsequently combined with cobaloxime photochemistry to furnish the alkene. Moreover, the mild protocol can be extended to desaturation of linear alcohols as well as aromatic hydrocarbons. Application to bioactive molecules and natural product derivatives is also presented.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28441-2

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