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Updated: Apr 22, 2026
![[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F59739.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst
Published on: May 21, 2019
Red-Light Photoredox C-H Alkylation of Acceptor Heterocycles Enabled by Substoichiometric NADH
Uxía Deus-Lorenzo1, Riccardo Di Forti2,3, Alejandro Cadranel2,3,4,5
1Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS) and Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Abstract:
NADH is a key redox mediator in biology and biocatalysis, yet its catalytic use in non-enzymatic synthetic chemistry remains largely unexplored. Here, we show that NADH can act as a substoichiometric reductive quencher in red-light photoredox catalysis, enabling a redox-neutral C(sp2)-H alkylation of acceptor heterocycles. This strategy reduces waste and leads to excellent yields and selectivity by suppressing overreduction. The reaction proceeds in air, under mild, aqueous-compatible conditions and operates in biorelevant media, establishing NADH as a cofactor for artificial red-light photoredox catalysis.
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