Photoinduced N-heterocyclic nitrenium-catalyzed single electron reduction of Se-Se bond for the generation of nucleophilic selenolates

The use of diselenides and alkyl halides in reductive conditions represents a potent approach for synthesizing diverse un-symmetrical selenides. Nonetheless, current methods suffer from drawbacks due to the requirement of stoichiometric re-ductants. In this research, we introduce a new and straightforward photoinduced N-heterocyclic nitrenium catalysis as an alternative. This catalytic process enables single electron reduction of Se-Se bonds, leading to the generation of nucleophilic selenolates. Consequently, unsymmetrical selenides can be synthesized efficiently from readily available diselenides and alkyl chlorides. A straightforward photoinduced NHN-catalyzed method for generating nucleophilic selenolates from diselenides without the need of stoichiometric reductants.