1.12 Intermolecular Radical C—H Functionalization

The generation of carbon-centered radicals via intermolecular hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) from C—H bonds to an abstracting species (HAT reagent) represents a significant challenge in terms of reactivity, site-selectivity and stereoselectivity. The radical species resulting from such a transfer can then engage in carbon—carbon or carbon—heteroatom bond formation, possibly through the intervention of transition-metal catalysts, leading to a variety of functionalized products. This chapter aims to provide the reader with useful guidelines to understand, predict, and design selective radical transformations based upon initial HAT from a C—H bond coupled to different radical-capture strategies. A selection of examples that illustrate different approaches to implement HAT reactions in synthetically useful procedures are presented.