Metal-Loaded Semiconductor-Photocatalysis of Alcohols for Selective Organic Synthesis: A Personal Account

Abstract

In this account, we review our research over the last decade on metal-loaded semiconductor-photocatalyzed organic transformations using alcohols. Different from many reactions using alcohols as mere sacrificial electron donors, our study has demonstrated alcohols as useful organic building blocks incorporated into value-added products. Besides such recollections of previous results, we briefly introduce our ongoing project involving photocatalytic C–C bond-forming reactions via the C–C bond scission of tertiary alcohols. 1 Introduction 2 Dehydroxylative hydrogenolysis of allylic alcohols 3 Acceptorless dehydrogenation of activated/unactivated alcohols 4 N-Alkylation of amines using alcohols as alkylating agents 5 Summary and outlook