Addition of aldehydes and their equivalents to electron-deficient alkenes using N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as a polarity-reversal catalyst

Radical addition of aldehydes and masked aldehydes like 1,3-dioxolanes to electron-deficient alkenes was achieved by the use of catalytic amounts of BPO and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as a polarity-reversal catalyst under mild conditions. Three-component radical coupling of 1,3-dioxolanes, maleates, and alkenes was performed in the presence of BPO and NHPI under similar conditions.