Triaryl-Heptazine Photocatalysts for the Oxidation of C–H and C–C Bonds in Nitrogen-Containing Molecules
Abstract
Open-shell intermediates have become central to modern organic synthesis, placing photoredox catalysis -and therefore the development of photocatalysts-as a crucial area of research. We report the development of a photocatalytic platform based on triaryl-heptazines, which possess high level of tunability and high potency for oxidation reactions. A representative set of four photocatalysts from this family were synthesized and fully characterized (UV-Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and time-correlated single photon counting) showing high excited-state reduction potentials and long excited-state lifetimes. DFT and time-dependent DFT studies were performed and account for the observed photochemical properties. One of these photocatalysts was then deployed for oxidative transformations of nitrogen-containing molecules, namely N-methyl oxidation to N-formyl compounds and C-C bond cleavage of cyclic N-protected amines. In both cases, this triaryl heptazine catalysts displays synthetically significant features, notably in terms of selectivity and substrate scope. Moreover, mechanistic investigations provided valuable insights into the behavior of this photocatalyst in the reaction.
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BibTeX
@article{montinhoinacio2026triarylheptazine,
title = {{Triaryl-Heptazine Photocatalysts for the Oxidation of C–H and C–C Bonds in Nitrogen-Containing Molecules}},
author = {Emeric Montinho-Inacio and Nicolas G-Simonian and Laurent Galmiche and Clémence Allain and Pierre Audebert and Luc Neuville and Géraldine Masson},
journal = {ACS Catalysis},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1021/acscatal.5c08082},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05763556v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Triaryl-Heptazine Photocatalysts for the Oxidation of C–H and C–C Bonds in Nitrogen-Containing Molecules
AU - Emeric Montinho-Inacio
AU - Nicolas G-Simonian
AU - Laurent Galmiche
AU - Clémence Allain
AU - Pierre Audebert
AU - Luc Neuville
AU - Géraldine Masson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
JO - ACS Catalysis
DO - 10.1021/acscatal.5c08082
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05763556v1
AB - Open-shell intermediates have become central to modern organic synthesis, placing photoredox catalysis -and therefore the development of photocatalysts-as a crucial area of research. We report the development of a photocatalytic platform based on triaryl-heptazines, which possess high level of tunability and high potency for oxidation reactions. A representative set of four photocatalysts from this family were synthesized and fully characterized (UV-Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and time-correlated single photon counting) showing high excited-state reduction potentials and long excited-state lifetimes. DFT and time-dependent DFT studies were performed and account for the observed photochemical properties. One of these photocatalysts was then deployed for oxidative transformations of nitrogen-containing molecules, namely N-methyl oxidation to N-formyl compounds and C-C bond cleavage of cyclic N-protected amines. In both cases, this triaryl heptazine catalysts displays synthetically significant features, notably in terms of selectivity and substrate scope. Moreover, mechanistic investigations provided valuable insights into the behavior of this photocatalyst in the reaction.
SN - 2155-5435
SN - 2155-5435
ER -