Oxygen Atom Transfer in the Photocatalytic Oxidation of Alcohols by TiO2: Oxygen Isotope Studies

摘要

The selective oxidation of alcohols into carbonyl compounds using dioxygen in lieu of toxic or corrosive stoichiometric oxidants such as CIO~-, Cr~(IV), and Cl_2, is one of the most challenging functional group transformations. The oxidation of alcohols using dioxygen as the oxidant has been successfully realized by using noble-metal and transition-metal complexes for catalysis. TiO2 photocatalysis has also attracted much attention as a potential and promising strategy for this aim, because of its high oxidation ability, environmentally friendly properties, and the benefit of using O2 as an oxidant and light as the driving force. A few successful cases involving TiO2 photocatalysis in acetonitrile, water, or solvent-free systems have recently been reported.