Recent Advances in Photoredox Nickel-Catalyzed Deoxygenative Coupling of Carboxylic Acids

doi:10.6023/cjoc202603006

Abstract

Photoredox/nickel dual catalysis has emerged as a mild and efficient platform for the direct deoxygenative coupling of carboxylic acids, capitalizing on their inherent abundance and structural diversity to assemble high-value ketone scaffolds. This review summarizes recent advances categorized by the in situ activation of carboxylic acids, including dimethyl dicarbonate, di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (Boc₂O), and triphenylphosphine (PPh₃), with discussion on progress in substrate scope, reaction design, and mechanistic understanding. These advances highlight the unique reactivity of this dual catalysis platform and point toward future opportunities in sustainable synthesis.

Key words: photoredox, nickel catalysis, deoxygenation, carboxylic acids

Cite this article

Dongping Wang, Yuxin Zhang, Shanshan Wei, Fengjiao Wang, Congjun Zhu. Recent Advances in Photoredox Nickel-Catalyzed Deoxygenative Coupling of Carboxylic Acids[J]. Chinese Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2026, 46(7): 2669-2682.

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Fig. & Tab. 16

Scheme 1. Ketone scaffolds in bioactive molecules and photoredox nickel-catalyzed deoxygenative coupling of carboxylic acids

Scheme 2. Photoredox/nickel catalysis for the direct synthesis of alkyl ketones

Scheme 3. Photoredox/nickel dual catalysis for the synthesis of C-acyl glycosides

Scheme 4. Photoredox/nickel-catalyzed synthesis of C-acyl furanosides

Scheme 5. Enantioselective C(sp3)—H acylation enables direct access to α-amino ketones

Scheme 6. Dual photoredox/nickel-catalyzed asymmetric acylation of benzylic C(sp3)—H bonds

Scheme 7. Enantioselective C—H acylation of saturated N-heterocycles

Scheme 8. Direct allylic C(sp3)—H acylation of alkenes

Scheme 9. Selective cross-ketonization of carboxylic acids

Scheme 10. Direct deoxygenative cross-coupling of carboxylic acids and alcohols

Scheme 11. Aromatization-driven acylation of spiro-dihydroquinazolones

Scheme 12. Direct ketone synthesis from carboxylic acids and organohalides

Scheme 13. Photoredox/nickel-catalyzed hydroacylation of ethylene

Scheme 14. Deoxygenative alkenylation of carboxylic acids for tetrasubstituted alkene synthesis

Scheme 15. Nickel-catalyzed radical thioesterification via sensitized electron transfer

Scheme 16. Highly selective radical C—C coupling of carboxylic acids

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