# Biginelli dihydropyrimidines: a tunable class of alkyl radical precursors

## TL;DR

This paper introduces dihydropyrimidines as stable and tunable precursors for alkyl radicals, offering advantages over existing compounds in radical chemistry.

## Contribution

The paper introduces DHPyms as a new class of alkyl radical precursors with superior redox properties and synthetic flexibility.

## Key findings

- DHPyms are stronger excited state reductants than Hantzsch dihydropyridines.
- Dimethylamino-substituted DHPym is highly reactive and bench-stable.
- DHPyms offer modularity and synthetic potential in radical-mediated transformations.

## Abstract

Alkyl-substituted dihydropyrimidines (DHPyms), synthesised via the Biginelli reaction, are introduced as tunable alternatives to 4-alkyl Hantzsch dihydropyridines (DHPs) in radical chemistry. Leveraging the modularity of the Biginelli reaction, we systematically explored the redox properties, UV/vis absorption, and synthetic potential of DHPyms in radical-mediated transformations, identifying dimethylamino-substituted DHPym as a highly reactive, bench-stable, and easily synthesised alkyl radical precursor.

Dihydropyrimidines (DHPyms) are introduced as bench-stable and tunable alkyl radical precursors. Derived through the Biginelli reaction, DHPyms are stronger excited state reductants than well-known Hantzsch dihydropyridines (DHPs).