Polarity-Driven Thiyl Radical Catalyzed Aerobic Debenzylation of Alcohols and Amines

We report the use of a strongly electrophilic thiyl radical derived from commercially available pentafluorothiophenol as a demonstration of highly chemoselective H-atom abstraction from electron-rich, and relatively weak benzylic C-H bonds adja-cent to O- and N-atoms. This approach enables the selective oxidative removal of benzyl and p-methoxybenzyl groups from amines and alcohols under ambient aerobic conditions.