An Expedited Phenotypic Approach Towards Organic Reaction Generality

Reaction generality is crucial in determining the overall impact and usefulness of organic synthetic methods. In contrast, contemporary generalization processes seem unable to meet the growing demand for robust methodology. We sought to develop an accelerated approach towards achieving generality, inspired by phenotypic screening, that rapidly expands the scope and utility of synthetic methods. This approach was validated by example of the metallaphotoredox decarboxylative arylation, resulting in the discovery of a novel additive that overcomes many lingering limitations of this method and has significant mechanistic implications for nickel-catalyzed cross couplings in general.