This account describes the work done by my group on electron-transfer-initiated cyclization
reactions. In this work radical-cation formation initiates bond cleavage processes
that form electrophilic groups leading to reactions with pendent nucleophiles to form
cyclic structures. The discussion begins with an overview of the relevant concepts
that inspired the work and opportunities that single-electron oxidation provides.
Our early work in which we optimized the procedure, elucidated the mechanism, and
determined the scope of the process will be discussed in detail, followed by applications
that were devised based on these studies.
electron transfer - cyclization - cleavage - heterocycles - oxidation