Tri-oxo-triangulene is a polyfunctional catalyst of sequential red-green-blue photoredox systems

Photocatalysis remains a crucial field to investigate. It is seen as a powerful tool which allows more efficient, relatively greener and economical chemical reactions. Nevertheless, catalysts usually include rare and pricy metals, with supplies being highly dependent on geopolitics. Thus, chemists turned their attention to alternatives such as natural products or organic molecules, conciliating performances, polyvalence and easy access. Among the promising candidates, polyaromatics rise as robust species and precursors of stable radicals which could be used as photocatalysts. Triangulenes are polycyclic hydrocarbons which are expected to shine in multiple fields such as spintronics, energy and data storage or semiconductors. This work reports the studies of photocatalytic reactions including the trioxotriangulene (TOT). Through the studies of three reactions ranging from sulfoxidation to dehalogenation of 4-bromoacetophenone, including the reduction of nitroaromatics, we discuss the performances, the polyvalence and the mechanism of the systems including this triangulene. As a proof of concept, we conclude this work with a description of "a sequential RBG photoredox catalytic system" where the three reactions are successively and selectively performed in a "one-pot" fashion.