This two-year period funded by the MSCA-PF scheme enabled the development of different research lines in the area of nickel catalysis and C–H functionalization. Nitrous oxide, an inert greenhouse gas, was repurposed as a mild oxidant in synthetic chemistry, performing a regioselective nickel-catalyzed oxygen-atom transfer into C(sp2)–H bonds while releasing nitrogen, an excellent and benign leaving group in line with the EU green chemistry principles. This work is now published (10.1021/jacs.3c07018). The challenge of developing an asymmetric C–C bond formation using nickel chain-walking catalysis was also explored. The priorly reported C(sp3)–C(sp3) coupling (10.1021/jacs.2c12915) was conducted in an enantioselective manner by using substituted cyclohexenes as substrates. By virtue of nickel migration, and depending on the chiral ligand of choice, different C–H bonds of the cycloalkane ring could be successfully functionalized in good yields, regioselectivities and enantioselectivities. This work will be shortly summarised and send for publication. The prior knowledge of the fellow in amine synthesis and C–H functionalization catalyzed a new synthetic methodology for the direct functionalization of C–H bonds using photochemical conditions. By introducing a bromide atom as a chemical handle, products could be subsequently functionalized in various scenarios, including cross-coupling and nucleophilic substitution reactions. This work is also published (10.1002/anie.202406485). Apart from research articles, the fellow also wrote a perspective about regiodivergent strategies in nickel chain-walking scenarios (10.1021/jacsau.3c00617) an opinion article (10.1038/s44160-024-00586-6) and supervised a master student.
