We develop photocatalytic systems that enable direct conversion of abundant chemical feedstocks to advanced products without prefunctionalization. For example, carboxylic acids can be directly converted to a wide range of other functionalities using acridine photocatalysis. The simple all-organic photocatalysts mediate decarboxylation by photoinduced proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) from the carboxylic group. The mechanism-based chemoselectivity ensures broad substrate scope and enables interfacing the acridine catalytic cycle with metal-catalyzed processes and biocatalytic reactions. As an example, triglycerides can be directly converted to α-olefines by a triple catalytic reaction that combines an enzyme, an acridine photocatalyst, and a cobalt catalyst in one direct transformation. Acridine photocatalysis can be equally easily used to swap the carboxylic group for other functionalities.
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