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Updated: May 5, 2026

Isolating Free Carbenes, their Mixed Dimers and Organic Radicals
Published on: April 19, 2019
Organic electron donors as powerful single-electron reducing agents in organic synthesis
Julie Broggi1, Thierry Terme, Patrice Vanelle
1Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ICR UMR 7273, Faculty of Pharmacy, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385, Marseille (France). julie.broggi@univ-amu.fr.
Abstract:
One-electron reduction is commonly used in organic chemistry for the formation of radicals by the stepwise transfer of one or two electrons from a donor to an organic substrate. Besides metallic reagents, single-electron reducers based on neutral organic molecules have emerged as an attractive novel source of reducing electrons. The past 20 years have seen the blossoming of a particular class of organic reducing agents, the electron-rich olefins, and their application in organic synthesis. This Review gives an overview of the different types of organic donors and their specific characteristics in organic transformations.
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