1. Polar effects – Radical electrophilicity and nucleophilicity scales

The development of radical cascade reactions has led to some remarkable achievements, notably in the field of total synthesis of natural products, but their use is often compromised by the time-consuming preparation of precursors . In contrast, radical CMRs are convergent processes leading to complex molecules from simple precursors. However, the design of a radical or non-radical CMR is not without its difficulties, not least the potential formation of numerous by-products. The chemoselectivity of each elementary step is therefore an essential parameter to be controlled. Modern radical chemistry, however, is based on the use of kinetic and thermodynamic...