Machine-Learning-Assisted Discovery of Mechanosynthesized Lead-Free Metal Halide Perovskites for the Oxidative Photocatalytic Cleavage of Alkenes.

Lead-free metal halide perovskites can potentially be air- and water-stable photocatalysts for organic synthesis, but there are limited studies on them for this application. Separately, machine learning (ML), a critical subfield of artificial intelligence, has played a pivotal role in identifying correlations and formulating predictions based on extensive datasets. Herein, an iterative workflow by incorporating high-throughput experimental data with ML to discover new lead-free metal halide perovskite photocatalysts for the aerobic oxidation of styrene is described. Through six rounds of ML optimization guided by SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis, BA2CsAg0.95Na0.05BiBr7 as a photocatalyst that afforded an 80% yield of benzoic acid under the standard conditions is identified, which is a 13-fold improvement compared to the 6% with when using Cs2AgBiBr6 as the initial photocatalyst benchmark that is started. BA2CsAg0.95Na0.05BiBr7 can tolerate various functional groups with 22 styrene derivatives, highlighting the generality of the photocatalytic properties demonstrated. Radical scavenging studies and density functional theory calculations revealed that the formation of the reactive oxygen species superoxide and singlet oxygen in the presence of BA2CsAg0.95Na0.05BiBr7 are critical for photocatalysis.

Metal-free C-S coupling of thiols and disulfides.

In organic synthesis, transition-metal and photoredox-catalysis-based reaction systems are emerging trends for the construction of C-S bonds. Many review articles have recently appeared in this field; however, we present herein an overview of metal-free C-S coupling reactions using thiols or disulfides as sulfur surrogates. The oxidants we have considered include peroxides, tert-butyl nitrite (TBN), DDQ, iodine reagents, and molecular oxygen. In addition, selective electrochemical oxidative transformations are also covered with mechanistic details.

Dithioacetalization or thioetherification of benzyl alcohols using 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium perchlorate photocatalyst.

We report herein the use of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium perchlorate as the visible-light photocatalyst for dithioacetalization or thioetherification of benzyl alcohols in one pot using aerial dioxygen as a terminal oxidant. EPR analysis and Stern-Volmer quenching studies helped to rationalize the single electron transfer (SET) mechanism.

Noncovalent Interactions in C-S Bond Formation Reactions.

Organosulfur compounds are omnipresent in many drugs, natural products, and functional materials; therefore, methodologies of C-S bond formation reactions are desirable in synthesis. The recent trend to control many chemical reactions by cooperative multiple weak interactions have emerged as one of the popular topics in supramolecular catalysis. Herein, we have made a collection of literature which utilizes multiple noncovalent interactions like H-bonding, solvent bonding, S-H···π, C-H···π, π-π stacking, charge-transfer complexation, etc. toward aryl C-S bond-formation reactions.

(Z)-Selective anti-Markovnikov or Markovnikov thiol-yne-click reactions of an internal alkyne by amide hydrogen bond control.

Herein, we show exclusive control of stereo and regioselective thiol-yne click (TYC) reactions of internal alkynes via amide hydrogen bond control. By exploiting appropriate hydrogen bonding interactions like N-HS, N-HN and C-HO, either (Z)-selective anti-Markovnikov or Markovnikov products could be obtained for an internal alkyne, exclusively.

Unsymmetrical Disulfides Synthesis via Sulfenium Ion.

An umpolung approach for the synthesis of unsymmetrical disulfides via sulfenium ion is reported. In situ generated electrophilic sulfenium ion from electron-rich thiols reacted with second thiols to yield unsymmetrical disulfides. Using an iodine catalyst and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP)/water as promoter, the target syntheses were achieved in one pot under aerobic condition.

Aerial dioxygen activation vs. thiol-ene click reaction within a system.

Markovnikov or anti-Markovnikov selective thiol-ene click (TEC) reactions and the synthesis of ß-hydroxysulfides via aerial dioxygen activation are prevalent C-S bond forming reactions of styrenes and thiophenols. Herein, by choosing appropriate environments using solvents with additives or neat conditions, any one of these three reactions was achieved exclusively in excellent yields.