Dayun Huang

The past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in light‐induced, three‐component ketone synthesis, yet a systematic and updated overview remains absent since the last relevant review in 2020. This review fills that gap by providing a comprehensive survey of the field from 2015 to 2025, with a particular focus on substrate diversity and mechanistic analysis. We organize the literature by the carbon skeletons, including alkenes, alkynes, simple ketones, phenols, and [1.1.1]propellane. We also systematically analyze the role of carbonyl oxygen sources, such as O ₂ /air, H ₂ O, H ₂ O ₂ , TBHP, CO, aldehydes, and ketones. By emphasizing mechanistic details for each transformation, this review not only consolidates scattered knowledge but also aims to guide future reaction design and inspire new synthetic strategies in sustainable ketone synthesis.

Light‐induced three‐component reactions have emerged as a powerful strategy for the sustainable synthesis of organosulfur compounds. They offer many advantages, such as readily available starting materials, mild reaction conditions, high atom economy, and simplified operational procedures. This review summarizes advances over the past decade in the construction of thioethers, thiocyanates, thioesters, thiolates, sulfoxides, sulfones, sulfonyl fluorides, and other sulfur‐containing frameworks.

Catalyst‐free, light‐induced three‐component reactions can conveniently synthesize complex compounds. These elements align with the principles of green chemistry and have been research hotspots. Their combination not only simplifies the reaction but also avoids metal residues in the products. Previous reviews have focused mainly on single reactions, with little attention to the combination of all three. This review mainly focuses on recent advances (2015–2025) categorized by product types. Mechanisms and the roles of added reagents will be discussed. Key intermediates can be generated via electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complexes, single‐electron transfer, halogen atom transfer, hydrogen atom transfer, homolysis, singlet oxygen ( ¹ O ₂ ), triplet diradical species, carbenes, etc. Reactions via EDA complexes, which proceed under visible light, have attracted the most attention due to their practicality and simplicity. The discussion covers strategies for constructing CC, CN, CO, CS, and CSe bonds. We hope this review will be helpful for future research in this area.

Alkenes and alkynes are simple yet important organic feedstocks. The trifluoromethylation of these substrates is able to produce complex organofluorine compounds in a facile way. In this study, we have reviewed decade developments (2014–2024) in the trifluoromethylation of alkenes and alkynes. We discuss various fluorine reagents and their applications. Reagents like CF ₃ SO ₂ Na, CF ₃ SO ₂ Cl, (CF ₃ SO ₂ ) ₂ O, N‐ triflylpyridinium salts, Togni's reagent, PhICF ₃ Cl, Umemoto's reagent and its derivatives, X‐R _F , trifluoromethyl carbonyl compounds, TFAA, and TMSCF ₃ , will be discussed in detail. The mechanisms and functions of the added reagents have also been discussed. This review covers different reaction types, including radical difunctionalization, cyclization, click reactions, and nucleophilic/electrophilic addition. We hope it will aid future research in this area.

A lithium tert-butoxide-mediated transesterification of NHPI esters with oximes enables efficient oxime ester formation under mild, metal-free conditions. DFT studies reveal a lithium-assisted chelation-driven substitution pathway.

This review discusses the electrochemical applications of inorganic compounds as starting materials in organic synthesis (2013–2024). In some cases, additional electrolytes are unnecessary due to the presence of inorganic substrates.

Alcohols are among the most common organic reagents and are typically used as solvents. Small-molecule alcohols are inexpensive, water-soluble, easy to store, and stable in performance. Using alcohols as starting materials in organic electrochemical synthesis aligns with the principles of green chemistry. This review discusses organic electrochemical reactions involving small-molecule alcohols as reactants, mainly including etherification, esterification, and alkylation.

Dearomatization offers an efficient strategy for directly converting arenes into cyclic molecules. In this review, we discuss representative examples of dearomatization reactions through five modes: (1) radical dearomatization, (2) halofunctionalization‐dearomatization, in which three‐membered intermediates were frequently involved, (3) nucleophilic dearomatization, mainly about electron‐rich arenes, (4) oxidative dearomatization, and (5) reductive dearomatization. Compared to heteroarenes, simple benzene arenes are more challenging to participate in dearomatization reactions. In recent years, fewer reports have focused on benzene. Heteroarenes, which are inherently electron‐rich or easily activated, tend to undergo dearomatization reactions more readily. This review highlights a decade of progress in dearomatization of arenes, including indoles, benzofurans, benzothiophenes, thiophenes, furans, naphthols, naphthalenes, quinolines, pyridines, nitrobenzenes, and benzenes. It also analyzes their mechanisms and strategies. We hope this will aid future research in this field.

Alkynes are simple yet important organic feedstocks. The selenylation of alkynes is able to produce complex selenium‐containing compounds in a facile way. Although there are some reviews about the selenylation of alkynes, most of them focus on one specific reaction or what types of products that can be obtained. There is a lack of attention given to the various uses of different selenium reagents and their mechanisms. This review mainly focuses on recent advances (2013–2023) based on diverse selenium reagents. Mechanisms and how the added reagents work will be discussed. Different reaction types, including difunctionalization, Se‐annulation, spiro‐cyclization, C−Se coupling, click reaction will be recorded in this review. The regioselectivity can be achieved through various mechanisms, including radicals, seleniraniums or electrophilic cyclization. We hope it will do help for future research in this area.

Alkynes are important in organic synthesis. This review mainly focuses on recent advances (2013–2023) on alkynes with C–S bond formation, based on more than 30 types of sulfur reagents. The reactions of alkynes with various sulfur-containing compounds including RSSR (disulfides), RSH (thiols), S₈ (elemental sulphur), alkynyl thioethers, RSCN, AgSCF₃, K₂S, Na₂S, dithiane, RSCl, NFSI, RNCS, EtOCS₂K, thiocarbamate, RSONH₂, thiourea, sulfoxide, RSO₂N₃, CS₂, RSO₂NH₂, RSO₂NHNH₂, RSO₂Cl, RSO₂Oar, RSO₂SR′, DABCO·(SO₂)₂, Na₂S₂O₅, K₂S₂O₅, RSO₂H, RSO₂Na and related compounds are discussed. Diverse mechanisms such as radical, electrophilic/nucleophilic addition, rearrangement, C–C bond cleavage, and CuAAC are discussed. The content is organized by substrates and reactivity patterns. We hope it will help in future research in this area.