Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review Article
  • Published:

Light-induced transition-metal-catalysed hydrogen atom transfer in organic transformations

Nature Catalysis volume 8, pages 1146–1158 (2025) Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Selective conversion of C–H bonds into high-value functional groups is a highly desirable process. Hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) is a powerful approach towards this goal by offering straightforward access to open-shell radical intermediates directly from R–H bonds. Recently, a subclass of photocatalysis referred to as visible-light-induced transition metal (TM) catalysis has emerged as a distinctive synthetic tool. This enables TMs to serve a dual role: capturing light energy and driving catalytic transformations. This dual functionality has been increasingly utilized to execute HAT without requiring an external photosensitizer. Although cooperative photocatalysis involving photoredox and TM catalysis contributed to early developments in this area, visible-light-induced TM catalysis offers direct and versatile approaches to C–H functionalization. In the past few years, this methodology has been extensively used to execute HAT. Here we describe the early development and recent advances of photoexcited-transition-metal-catalysed HAT processes.

The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Thermodynamic and kinetic driving factors for HAT, and modes of HAT in TM catalysis.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 2: Palladium catalysis via tethered strategies.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 3: Palladium catalysis via non-tethered strategies.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 4: Copper catalysis via tethered strategies.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 5: Copper catalysis via non-tethered strategies.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 6: Cerium catalysis.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 7: Iron catalysis.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 8: Ru, Co and Cr catalysis.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. White, M. C. Adding aliphatic C–H bond oxidations to synthesis. Science 335, 807–809 (2012).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bergman, R. G. C–H activation. Nature 446, 391–393 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Rogge, T. et al. C–H activation. Nat. Rev. Methods Prim. 1, 43 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hartwig, J. F. & Larsen, M. A. Undirected, homogeneous C–H bond functionalization: challenges and opportunities. ACS Cent. Sci. 2, 281–292 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Yamaguchi, J., Yamaguchi, A. D. & Itami, K. C–H bond functionalization: emerging synthetic tools for natural products and pharmaceuticals. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 51, 8960–9009 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Godula, K. & Sames, D. C–H bond functionalization in complex organic synthesis. Science 312, 67–72 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Chu, J. C. K. & Rovis, T. Complementary strategies for directed C(sp3)−H functionalization: a comparison of transition-metal-catalyzed activation, hydrogen atom transfer, and carbene/nitrene transfer. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 57, 62–101 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Parasram, M. & Gevorgyan, V. Visible light-induced transition metal-catalyzed transformations: beyond conventional photosensitizers. Chem. Soc. Rev. 46, 6227–6240 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Kancherla, R., Muralirajan, K., Sagadevan, A. & Rueping, M. Visible light-induced excited-state transition-metal catalysis. Trends Chem. 1, 510–523 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cheung, K. P. S., Sarkar, S. & Gevorgyan, V. Visible light-induced transition metal catalysis. Chem. Rev. 122, 1543–1625 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Capaldo, L. & Ravelli, D. Hydrogen atom transfer (HAT): a versatile strategy for substrate activation in photocatalysed organic synthesis. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2017, 2056–2071 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Cao, H., Tang, X., Tang, H., Yuan, Y. & Wu, J. Photoinduced intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer reactions in organic synthesis. Chem. Catal. 1, 523–598 (2021).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Capaldo, L., Ravelli, D. & Fagnoni, M. Direct photocatalyzed hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) for aliphatic C–H bonds elaboration. Chem. Rev. 122, 1875–1924 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Zhang, J. & Rueping, M. Metallaphotoredox catalysis for sp3 C–H functionalizations through hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). Chem. Soc. Rev. 52, 4099–4120 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Mayer, J. M. Understanding hydrogen atom transfer: from bond strengths to Marcus theory. Acc. Chem. Res. 44, 36–46 (2011).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. O′Brien, T. E., Morris, A. O., Villela, L. F. & Barriault, L. Synthetic applications of photochemically generated radicals from protic C(sp3)–H bonds. ChemCatChem 15, e202300989 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Tedder, J. M. Which factors determine the reactivity and regioselectivity of free radical substitution and addition reactions? Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 21, 401–410 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Garwood, J. J. A., Chen, A. D. & Nagib, D. A. Radical polarity. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 28034–28059 (2024).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Parsaee, F. et al. Radical philicity and its role in selective organic transformations. Nat. Rev. Chem. 5, 486–499 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Héberger, K. & Lopata, A. Assessment of nucleophilicity and electrophilicity of radicals, and of polar and enthalpy effects on radical addition reactions. J. Org. Chem. 63, 8646–8653 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Nechab, M., Mondal, S. & Bertrand, M. P. 1,n-Hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) reactions in which n ≠ 5: an updated inventory. Chem. Eur. J. 20, 16034–16059 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Stateman, L. M., Nakafuku, K. M. & Nagib, D. A. Remote C–H functionalization via selective hydrogen atom transfer. Synthesis 50, 1569–1586 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Milan, M., Salamone, M., Costas, M. & Bietti, M. The quest for selectivity in hydrogen atom transfer based aliphatic C–H bond oxygenation. Acc. Chem. Res. 51, 1984–1995 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Waele, V. D., Poizat, O., Fagnoni, M., Bagno, A. & Ravelli, D. Unraveling the key features of the reactive state of decatungstate anion in hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) photocatalysis. ACS Catal. 6, 7174–7182 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Bonciolini, S., Noël, T. & Capaldo, L. Synthetic applications of photocatalyzed halogen-radical mediated hydrogen atom transfer for C–H bond functionalization. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2022, e202200417 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Parasram, M., Chuentragool, P., Sarkar, D. & Gevorgyan, V. Photoinduced formation of hybrid aryl Pd-radical species capable of 1,5-HAT: selective catalytic oxidation of silyl ethers into silyl enol ethers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138, 6340–6343 (2016). The authors describe the formation of a palladium(I) hybrid radical species under mild conditions using light irradiation to enable desaturation of silyl ethers.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Parasram, M., Chuentragool, P., Wang, Y., Shi, Y. & Gevorgyan, V. General, auxiliary-enabled photoinduced Pd-catalyzed remote desaturation of aliphatic alcohols. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 139, 14857–14860 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Chuentragool, P., Parasram, M., Shi, Y. & Gevorgyan, V. General, mild, and selective method for desaturation of aliphatic amines. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 140, 2465–2468 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Lu, W.-D. et al. Visible-light-induced, palladium-mediated desaturation/sulfonation cascade to access 4-sulfonyltetrahydropyridine scaffolds. Org. Lett. 25, 6077–6081 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Yang, S., Fan, H., Xie, L., Dong, G. & Chen, M. Photoinduced desaturation of amides by palladium catalysis. Org. Lett. 24, 6460–6465 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Jin, W. & Yu, S. Photoinduced and palladium-catalyzed remote desaturation of amide derivatives. Org. Lett. 23, 6931–6935 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Jin, W. & Yu, S. Photoexcited palladium-initiated remote desaturation of N-alkoxypyridinium salts. J. Org. Chem. 87, 14715–14722 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Chuentragool, P. et al. Aliphatic radical relay Heck reaction at unactivated C(sp3)–H sites of alcohols. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 58, 1794–1798 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Du, Y.-J. et al. Aryl-to-alkyl radical relay Heck reaction of amides with vinyl arenes. Chem. Sci. 14, 3580–3586 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Sheng, X.-X., Du, Y.-J., Li, J.-H., Teng, Q.-Q. & Chen, M. Photoinduced nitrogen-to-alkyl radical relay heck reaction of o-alkylbenzamides with vinyl arenes by palladium catalysis. Org. Lett. 25, 3664–3669 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Du, Y.-J. et al. Accessing benzoazepine derivatives via photoinduced radical relay formal [5+2] reaction of amide/alkyne enabled by palladium catalysis. Org. Lett. 26, 2662–2667 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Ratushnyy, M., Kvasovs, N., Sarkar, S. & Gevorgyan, V. Visible-light-induced palladium-catalyzed generation of aryl radicals from aryl triflates. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 59, 10316–10320 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Ruan, X.-Y. et al. Photoinduced and palladium-catalyzed hydrogen atom transfer triggered 1,2-difunctionalization of 1,3-dienes with hydroxamides. Sci. China Chem. 65, 863–869 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Ratushnyy, M., Parasram, M., Wang, Y. & Gevorgyan, V. Palladium-catalyzed atom-transfer radical cyclization at remote unactivated C(sp3)–H sites: hydrogen-atom transfer of hybrid vinyl palladium radical intermediates. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 57, 2712–2715 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Chen, L., Jiang, K., Zeng, G. & Yin, B. Photoinduced Pd-catalyzed C(sp2)–H/C(sp3)H dehydrocoupling reaction employing polyhaloaromatics as the dehydrogenating agent. Org. Lett. 24, 9071–9075 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Cheung, K. P. S., Fang, J., Mukherjee, K., Mihranyan, A. & Gevorgyan, V. Asymmetric intermolecular allylic C–H amination of alkenes with aliphatic amines. Science 378, 1207–1213 (2022). This article describes an early example of palladium(I) hybrid-radical-mediated intermolecular HAT for accessing enantioselective allylic C–H amination.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Yamada, K., Cheung, K. P. S. & Gevorgyan, V. General regio- and diastereoselective allylic C–H oxygenation of internal alkenes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 18218–18223 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Mukherjee, K., Cheung, K. P. S. & Gevorgyan, V. Photoinduced Pd-catalyzed direct sulfonylation of allylic C–H bonds. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 64, e202413646 (2025).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Ruan, X.-Y. et al. Photoinduced Pd-catalyzed enantioselective carboamination of dienes via aliphatic C–H bond elaboration. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 12053–12062 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Muralirajan, K. et al. Mechanistic insights into excited-state palladium catalysis for C–S bond formations and dehydrogenative sulfonylation of amines. Nat. Commun. 14, 6622 (2023). This article describes aryl sulfonyl chlorides as aryl radical precursors capable of performing HAT to functionalize C–H bonds, and enabling the dehydrogenative β-sulfonylation reaction of amines.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  46. Yang, S., Hu, H., Li, J.-H. & Chen, M. Direct alkylation of glycine derivatives via photoinduced palladium catalysis, utilizing intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer mediated by alkyl radicals. ACS Catal. 13, 15652–15662 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Cao, Z. et al. Photo-induced copper-catalyzed alkynylation and amination of remote unactivated C(sp3)–H bonds. Chem. Sci. 12, 4836–4840 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Cao, Z., Li, J. & Zhang, G. Photo-induced copper-catalyzed sequential 1,n-HAT enabling the formation of cyclobutanols. Nat. Commun. 12, 6404 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  49. Guo, R. et al. Photoinduced copper-catalyzed asymmetric C(sp3)–H alkynylation of cyclic amines by intramolecular 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 61, e202208232 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Gan, Q.-C., Song, Z.-Q., Tung, C. H. & Wu, L. Z. Direct C(sp)–H/Si–H cross-coupling via copper salts photocatalysis. Org. Lett. 24, 5192–5196 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Kang, G. & Han, S. Synthesis of dimeric securinega alkaloid flueggeacosine B: from Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling to Cu-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 8932–8937 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Golden, D. L. et al. Benzylic C–H esterification with limiting C–H substrate enabled by photochemical redox buffering of the Cu catalyst. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 9434–9440 (2023). Describes benzyllic esterification using a photochemical redox buffering strategy.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  53. Tang, S., Xu, H., Dang, Y. & Yu, S. Photoexcited copper-catalyzed enantioselective allylic C(sp3)–H acyloxylation of acyclic internal alkenes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 27196–27203 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Treacy, S. M. & Rovis, T. Copper catalyzed C(sp3)–H bond alkylation via photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge transfer. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 143, 2729–2735 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Lian, P. et al. Photoredox aerobic oxidation of unreactive amine derivatives through LMCT excitation of copper dichloride. Org. Chem. Front. 9, 4924–4931 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Sang, R. et al. Copper-mediated dehydrogenative C(sp3)–H borylation of alkanes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 15207–15217 (2023). The authors describe a selective dehydrogenative borylation of alkanes using an LMCT process to generate chlorine-radical-based HAT agents.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Tsui, E., Wang, H. & Knowles, R. R. Catalytic generation of alkoxy radicals from unfunctionalized alcohols. Chem. Sci. 11, 11124–11141 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  58. El Gehani, A. A. M. A., Maashi, H. A., Harnedy, J. & Morrill, L. C. Electrochemical generation and utilization of alkoxy radicals. Chem. Commun. 59, 3655–3664 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Hu, A. et al. δ-Selective functionalization of alkanols enabled by visible-light-induced ligand-to-metal charge transfer. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 140, 1612–1616 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Hu, A., Guo, J. J., Pan, H. & Zuo, Z. Selective functionalization of methane, ethane, and higher alkanes by cerium photocatalysis. Science 361, 668–672 (2018). Simple hydrocarbons can be selectively functionalized using cerium photocatalysis to generate value-added products.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. An, Q. et al. Cerium-catalyzed C–H functionalizations of alkanes utilizing alcohols as hydrogen atom transfer agents. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142, 6216–6226 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Yang, Q. et al. Photocatalytic C–H activation and the subtle role of chlorine radical complexation in reactivity. Science 372, 847–852 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. An, Q. et al. Identification of alkoxy radicals as hydrogen atom transfer agents in Ce-catalyzed C−H functionalization. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 359–376 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Xu, J. et al. Photo-induced cross-dehydrogenative alkylation of heteroarenes with alkanes under aerobic conditions. J. Org. Chem. 86, 17816–17832 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  65. Kang, Y. C., Treacy, S. M. & Rovis, T. Iron-catalyzed photoinduced LMCT: a 1 °C–H abstraction enables skeletal rearrangements and C(sp3)–H alkylation. ACS Catal. 11, 7442–7449 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  66. Jin, Y. et al. Photo-induced direct alkynylation of methane and other light alkanes by iron catalysis. Green Chem. 23, 9406–9411 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Niu, B., Sachidanandan, K., Cooke, M. V., Casey, T. E. & Laulhe, S. Photoinduced C(sp3)–H chalcogenation of amide derivatives and ethers via ligand-to-metal charge-transfer. Org. Lett. 24, 4524–4529 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  68. Dai, Z.-Y., Zhang, S.-Q., Hong, X., Wang, P.-S. & Gong, L.-Z. A practical FeCl3/HCl photocatalyst for versatile aliphatic C–H functionalization. Chem. Catal. 2, 1211–1222 (2022).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  69. Tu, J.-L., Hu, A.-M., Guo, L. & Xia, W. Iron-catalyzed C(sp3)–H borylation, thiolation, and sulfinylation enabled by photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge transfer. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 7600–7611 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Shi, W. et al. Photoinduced ligand-to-iron charge transfer enabled C(sp3)–H phosphorylation of hydrocarbons. Green Chem. 25, 7817–7824 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  71. Xu, N., Peng, X., Chen, Z., Song, S. & Li, J. Iron-catalyzed photoredox intermolecular dearomatization of benzothiazoles with alkanes. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 11, 13142–13148 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  72. Xia, G.-D., Li, R., Zhang, L., Wei, Y. & Hu, X.-Q. Iron-catalyzed photochemical synthesis of sulfinamides from aliphatic hydrocarbons and sulfinylamines. Org. Lett. 26, 3703–3708 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  73. Gonzalez, M. I. et al. Taming the chlorine radical: enforcing steric control over chlorine-radical-mediated C–H activation. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 1464–1472 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Wang, M., Huang, Y. H. & Hu, P. Terminal C(sp3)–H borylation through intermolecular radical sampling. Science 383, 537–544 (2024). The authors describe a selective radical C–H bond borylation through intermolecular radical sampling.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  75. Zhang, Z. et al. Controllable C–H alkylation of polyethers via iron photocatalysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 7612–7620 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Chen, J. J. et al. Iron-catalyzed photoredox alcohol α-C–H alkylation and tandem intramolecular cyclization: facile access to multisubstituted 2,3-dihydrofurans and γ-butyrolactones. Org. Lett. 26, 5329–5334 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  77. Song, Z. et al. Photo-induced synthesis of functionalized γ-lactams via iron-catalyzed LMCT cascade. Adv. Synth. Catal. 366, 1972–1977 (2024).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  78. Pan, X.-Y. et al. Photogenerated chlorine radicals activate C(sp3)–H bonds of alkylbenzenes to access quinazolinones. Org. Biomol. Chem. 22, 2968–2973 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  79. Wang, C. et al. Site-selective desaturation of C(sp3)–C(sp3) bonds via photoinduced ruthenium catalysis. Org. Chem. Front. 9, 4316–4327 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  80. Yu, W.-L. et al. Cobalt-catalyzed chemoselective dehydrogenation through radical translocation under visible light. Chem. Sci. 13, 7947–7954 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  81. Wang, C. et al. Catalytic desaturation of aliphatic amides and imides enabled by excited-state base-metal catalysis. ACS Catal. 12, 8868–8876 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  82. Zeng, X., Zhang, F.-H., Lai, R., Lin, X. & Wang, Z. Cr-catalyzed allylic C(sp3)–H addition to aldehydes enabled by photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge transfer. Sci. China Chem. 67, 1589–1595 (2024).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

V.G., K.M. and A.B.D. are grateful to the National Institutes of Health (R35GM156632) and The Welch Foundation (AT-0041) for financial support. H.N. and R.H. are grateful to the Higher Education and Science Committee (grant 22RL-017).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA

    Kallol Mukherjee, Ayala Ben David & Vladimir Gevorgyan

  2. Scientific and Technological Center of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia

    Hasmik Nikoghosyan & Robert Hakobyan

Authors
  1. Kallol Mukherjee
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ayala Ben David
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hasmik Nikoghosyan
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Robert Hakobyan
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Vladimir Gevorgyan
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

V.G. provided key discussions and ideas and reviewed the text. K.M., A.B.D., H.N. and R.H. collected literature reports and wrote the text.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vladimir Gevorgyan.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Catalysis thanks the anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mukherjee, K., Ben David, A., Nikoghosyan, H. et al. Light-induced transition-metal-catalysed hydrogen atom transfer in organic transformations. Nat Catal 8, 1146–1158 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01431-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01431-5

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing