Seminar Abstract:

Frustrated Radical Pairs (FRPs) are an emerging strategy for harnessing controlled single-electron
reactivity via sterically or electronically mismatched donor-acceptor pairs. Unlike traditional two-electron
Frustrated Lewis Pairs (FLPs), FRPs generate open-shell intermediates under mild, metal-free conditions. This
creates new opportunities for selective bond formation. However, their use in carbon functionalization remains
largely underexplored. This proposal will develop new FRP platforms by pairing readily tunable donor and acceptor
partners. The proposed FRPs will be evaluated by UV/Vis, EPR, and transient absorption spectroscopy to validate
their formation and lifetimes; all are predicted to undergo SET based on the approximate differences in donor
ionization energies and acceptor electron affinities. These will enable alkene difunctionalization, heterocycle
synthesis, and selective C–H fluorination, establishing FRPs as versatile tools for modern synthetic chemistry.