Halogen-Atom Transfer Activation of Halides by Aminoalkyl Radicals

Activation of ubiquitous organic halides into radical intermediates has been a challenging topic. In a recent paper published in Science, Leonori, Julia, and co-workers disclosed a new and robust strategy for halogen-atom-transfer activation of alkyl and aryl halides with the use of alpha-aminoalkyl radicals, easily generated from simple tertiary amines via single-electron transfer (SET) oxidation.