Polarity Transduction Enables the Formal Electronically Mismatched Radical Addition to Alkenes.

The formation of carbon-carbon bonds via the intermolecular addition of alkyl radicals to alkenes is a cornerstone of organic chemistry and plays a central role in synthesis. However, unless specific electrophilic radicals are involved, polarity matching requirements restrict the alkene component to be electron deficient. This limits the scope of a fundamentally important carbon-carbon bond forming process that could otherwise be more universally applied. Herein, we introduce a strategy that formally overcomes this electronic limitation. Vinyl sulfonium ions are demonstrated to react with carbon-centered radicals, giving adducts that undergo or sequential nucleophilic displacement to provide products that would be inaccessible via traditional methods. The broad generality of this strategy is demonstrated through the derivatization of unmodified complex bioactive molecules.