Visible-light photocatalysis has evolved over the last decade into a widely used method in organic synthesis. Photocatalytic variants have been reported for many important transformations, such as cross-coupling reactions, α-amino functionalizations, cycloadditions, ATRA reactions, or fluorinations. To help chemists select photocatalytic methods for their synthesis, we compare in this Review classical and photocatalytic procedures for selected classes of reactions and highlight their advantages and limitations. In many cases, the photocatalytic reactions proceed under milder reaction conditions, typically at room temperature, and stoichiometric reagents are replaced by simple oxidants or reductants, such as air, oxygen, or amines. Does visible-light photocatalysis make a difference in organic synthesis? The prospect of shuttling electrons back and forth to substrates and intermediates or to selectively transfer energy through a visible-light-absorbing photocatalyst holds the promise to improve current procedures in radical chemistry and to open up new avenues by accessing reactive species hitherto unknown, especially by merging photocatalysis with organo- or metal catalysis.

Visible-Light Photocatalysis: Does It Make a Difference in Organic Synthesis?

Visible-light photocatalysis is a rapidly developing and powerful strategy to initiate organic transformations, as it closely adheres to the tenants of green and sustainable chemistry. Generally, most visible-light-induced photochemical reactions occur through single-electron transfer (SET) pathways. Recently, visible-light-induced energy-transfer (EnT) reactions have received considerable attentions from the synthetic community as this strategy provides a distinct reaction pathway, and remarkable achievements have been made in this field. In this Review, we highlight the most recent advances in visible-light-induced EnT reactions.

Visible-Light-Induced Organic Photochemical Reactions through Energy-Transfer Pathways.

Traditional organic synthesis relies heavily on organic solvents for a multitude of tasks, including dissolving the components and facilitating chemical reactions, because many reagents and reactive species are incompatible or immiscible with water. Given that they are used in vast quantities as compared to reactants, solvents have been the focus of environmental concerns. Along with reducing the environmental impact of organic synthesis, the use of water as a reaction medium also benefits chemical processes by simplifying operations, allowing mild reaction conditions, and sometimes delivering unforeseen reactivities and selectivities. After the “watershed” in organic synthesis revealed the importance of water, the development of water-compatible catalysts has flourished, triggering a quantum leap in water-centered organic synthesis. Given that organic compounds are typically practically insoluble in water, simple extractive workup can readily separate a water-soluble homogeneous catalyst as an aqueous so...

Catalytic Organic Reactions in Water toward Sustainable Society

Graphitic carbon nitride-based photocatalysts: Toward efficient organic transformation for value-added chemicals production

The lignin-first concept offers an opportunity to utilize the entire lignocellulosic biomass efficiently However, current conversion strategies rely on high-temperature hydrogenolysis by supported metal catalysts, leading to low-functionalized products or difficulty in separation of solid catalyst from cellulose/hemicellulose Here, we report the fractionation and valorization of lignocellulose via solar energy-driven conversion of native lignin at room temperature We found that cadmium sulfide quantum dots not only catalyse the cleavage of β-O-4 bonds in lignin models quantitatively but also are efficient for the conversion of native lignin within biomass into functionalized aromatics under visible light, while cellulose/hemicellulose remain almost intact Further, the colloidal character of quantum dots enables their facile separation and recycling by a reversible aggregation–colloidization strategy The β-O-4 bond in lignin is cleaved by an electron–hole coupled photoredox mechanism based on a Cα radical intermediate, in which both photogenerated electrons and holes participate in the reaction Lignin-first approaches, which prioritize lignin upgrade over cellulose, can open the way to full biomass valorization, but are still hampered by the need of harsh reaction conditions and difficulties in catalyst recovery Now, a photocatalytic strategy based on the use of cadmium sulfide quantum dots is reported that overcomes these limitations

Solar energy-driven lignin-first approach to full utilization of lignocellulosic biomass under mild conditions

Selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes/ketones has been achieved with the help of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-capped CdSe quantum dot (MPA-CdSe QD) and visible light. Visible-light-prompted electron-transfer reaction initiates the oxidation. The thiyl radical generated from the thiolate anion adsorbed on a CdSe QD plays a key role by abstracting the hydrogen atom from the C-H bond of the alcohol (R1 CH(OH)R2 ). The reaction shows high efficiency, good functional group tolerance, and high site-selectivity in polyhydroxy compounds. The generality and selectivity reported here offer a new opportunity for further applications of QDs in organic transformations.

Photocatalysis with Quantum Dots and Visible Light: Selective and Efficient Oxidation of Alcohols to Carbonyl Compounds through a Radical Relay Process in Water

[2+2] Photocycloaddition, for example, the dimerization of chalcones and cinnamic acid derivatives, is a unique strategy to construct cyclobutanes, which are building blocks for a variety of biologically active molecules and natural products. However, most attempts at the above [2+2] addition have focused on solid-state, molten-state, or host-guest systems under ultraviolet-light irradiation in order to overcome the competition of facile geometric isomerization of nonrigid olefins. We report a general and simple method to realize the intermolecular [2+2] dimerization reaction of these acyclic olefins to construct cyclobutanes in a highly regio- and diastereoselective manner in solution under visible light, which provides an efficient solution to a long-standing problem.

General and Efficient Intermolecular [2+2] Photodimerization of Chalcones and Cinnamic Acid Derivatives in Solution through Visible-Light Catalysis.

Photosensitization has recently re-emerged owing to the current interest in visible-light catalysis. One of the photoreactions investigated in this context, namely, photo[2+2]cycloaddition of olefins, is established to show high selectivity and wide generality. Here, we describe the results of our studies on selective intermolecular cycloaddition between extended enones (2,4-dien-1-ones and 2-oxo-3-enoates) and olefins under visible-light sensitization. With Ru(bpy)3Cl2 as the triplet energy sensitizer, [2+2] addition of 2,4-dien-1-ones to olefins resulted in the addition to the "ene" part of enones with high efficiency. Generality and functional group tolerance were established by examining a number of enones. 2-Oxo-3-enoates also underwent addition to olefins in the presence of Ru(phen)3(PF6)2. Both additions were more efficient in the presence of the triplet sensitizer than upon direct irradiation. No Paterno-Buchi product was detected. Density functional theory calculations revealed the origin of high selectivity in the two extended enone systems. Together with spectroscopic studies and control experiments, the cycloaddition has been demonstrated to occur from the excited triplet state of these extended enones, which were generated via the energy transfer process.

Lei Min Zhao

Papers

Photocatalysis with Quantum Dots and Visible Light: Selective and Efficient Oxidation of Alcohols to Carbonyl Compounds through a Radical Relay Process in Water

General and Efficient Intermolecular [2+2] Photodimerization of Chalcones and Cinnamic Acid Derivatives in Solution through Visible-Light Catalysis.

Visible-Light-Triggered Selective Intermolecular [2+2] Cycloaddition of Extended Enones: 2-Oxo-3-enoates and 2,4-Dien-1-ones with Olefins.