Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer: Transition-Metal-Free Selective Reduction of Chalcones and Alkynes Using Xanthate/Formic Acid

Highly chemoselective reduction of α,β-unsaturated ketones to saturated ketones and stereoselective reduction of alkynes to (E)-alkenes has been developed under a transition-metal-free condition using a xanthate/formic acid mixture through proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). Mechanistic experiments and DFT calculations support the possibility of a concerted proton electron-transfer (CPET) pathway. This Birch-type reduction demonstrates that a small nucleophilic organic molecule can be used as a single electron-transfer (SET) reducing agent with a proper proton source.