Alkyl radical triggered in situ SO₂-capture cascades

An unprecedented in situ SO₂-capture cascade triggered by alkyl radicals has been documented herein. Mechanistic investigations suggest that, triggered by alkyl radicals, SO₂ was released in situ and subsequently fixed into polycyclic small molecules. A wide range of alkylsulfonyl substituted polycyclic compounds were easily prepared with high yields and good functional group tolerability.