Tamed radicals expand chemical space
A method to functionalise complex molecules with catalytic radicals could expand chemical libraries of the drug and agrochemical industry
US scientists have developed a visible-light mediated reaction that uses tamed alkyl radicals to functionalise even complex heterocyclic molecules. This mild and selective method could allow chemists to expand the number of compounds chemists have access to, known as the chemical space, and to discover new drugs and agrochemicals.