Context: The recent renaissance of cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by first row transition metals has brought on a major revolution in synthetic organic chemistry.(1)
Indeed, the ability of these metals to undergo single electron transfer (SET) and radical capture has allowed the cross-coupling of novel radical-based organic synthons and opened vast, previously inaccessible, chemical space.(2).  However, one of the fundamental limitations that plague this field is its reliance on outer-sphere single electron transfer (OSET) mechanisms for the generation of the radical partners, which brings stringent thermodynamical limitations and prevent the generation of highly energetic species.
PhD project: The aim of this PhD project will be to develop new, milder, more selective ways to generate free radical species and to combine them with transition metal catalysis in order to lift the current limitations found in this field