Tuning radical reactivity for selective radical/radical cross-coupling

Radical/radical cross-coupling represents a straightforward way for the construction of new chemical bonds in theory and has received more and more attention over the past several years. Until now, it is challenging to achieve the selective bond formation between two transient radicals since selective radical cross-coupling usually happens between persistent radical and transient radical. However, the number of persistent radicals is much less than that of transient radicals. These issues limit the application of radical/radical cross-coupling in the construction of new chemical bonds. To solve this, we proposed a novel strategy tuning radical reactivity that could tune transient radical into persistent radical. This paper will introduce the concept and recent developments of tuning radical reactivity. (C) 2018 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science China Press. All rights reserved.