The genesis of the reversible radical addition-fragmentation-transfer of thiocarbonylthio derivatives from the Barton-McCombie deoxygenation: A brief account and some mechanistic observations

Abstract : The observations and reasoning leading to the discovery of the degenerative transfer of xanthates and related thiocarbonylthio derivatives are briefly described. A few synthetic applications are presented, and the consequences on the emergence of the RAFT and MADIX polymerization technologies as well as some mechanistic aspects are briefly discussed. © CSIRO 2006.