Organic semiconductor photocatalyst can bifunctionalize arenes and heteroarenes

Photoexcited electron-hole pairs on a semiconductor surface can engage in redox reactions with two different substrates. Similar to conventional electrosynthesis, the primary redox intermediates afford only separate oxidized and reduced products or, more rarely, combine to one addition product. Here, we report that a stable organic semiconductor material, mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-CN), can act as a visible-light photoredox catalyst to orchestrate oxidative and reductive interfacial electron transfers to two different substrates in a two- or three-component system for direct twofold carbon-hydrogen functionalization of arenes and heteroarenes. The mpg-CN catalyst tolerates reactive radicals and…

• EC
  European Commission

  Award: 741623
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Award: An 156 13-1
• M
  Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
• HE
  H2020 European Research Council

  Award: No 741623