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Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Light-driven Enzymatic Decarboxylation
Published on: May 22, 2016
Selective Oxidation of Alcohols to Carbonyls Under Decatungstate-Mediated Photoelectrochemical Conditions
Andrea Capucciati1, Luca Baraglia1, Elena Cassera1
1PhotoGreen Lab, Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, viale Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
Abstract:
The oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl derivatives has been realized under photoelectrochemical conditions in the presence of tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) as the homogeneous photocatalyst. The protocol can be applied to both primary and secondary, benzylic and aliphatic alcohols. The desired products are obtained selectively, skipping the need for purposely added chemical oxidants. An in-depth study of photoelectrochemical conditions revealed that the protocol works best under amperostatic conditions in an undivided electrochemical cell irradiated with a 390 nm LED lamp. The comparison with analogous electrochemical and chemical oxidant-promoted photocatalytic transformations demonstrates the superior efficiency and selectivity of the hereby reported photoelectrochemical conditions.
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