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Photogeneration of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Application in Photoinduced Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization
Published on: November 29, 2018
A Well-Defined Cu─NHC (NHC═N─Heterocyclic Carbene) Complex for Energy-Transfer Photocatalysis
Tommaso Ruggiero1, Yi-Jyun Lien2, Pierre Arnaut1
1Department of Chemistry and Center for Sustainable Chemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
We report the first uses of a copper carbene-metal-amido complex, [Cu(IPr)(Cbz)] (1), as an efficient photosensitizer for a broad range of triplet-triplet energy transfer (TTEnT) catalytic processes. Mechanistic studies confirm a triplet-triplet energy-transfer pathway. These findings establish 1 as the first copper-based photosensitizer competent in intermolecular [2+2] cycloaddition involving substrates with ET > 62 kcal/mol and hydrogen atom transfer via EnT, offering a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to noble-metal photocatalysts.
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