Photocatalytic Oxidative Generation and Synthetic Application of Phosphine–Boryl Radicals

Phosphine-boryl radicals remain less well-studied because their parent phosphine-boranes are highly stable under oxidative conditions. Herein, we report a strategy for generating phosphine-boryl radicals facilitated by radical precursors through an appropriate molecular design. Incorporating a proximal oxidant into a phosphine-borane facilitates the formation of the corresponding boron-centered radical through proton-coupled intramolecular electron transfer. The resulting phosphine-boryl radical can be used to generate an alkyl radical via halogen atom transfer.