Nikolaos F. Nikitas

Photoredox Catalysis has brought a revolution in modern Catalysis. Photoorganocatalysis, the use of small organic molecules for photocatalytic transformations, has provided new chemical reactivities and synthetic pathways through the mild generation of radical species. In our laboratory we have developed several methods that harness the power of light through the use of small organic photocatalysts. Oxidation of alcohols is one of the most important reactions in Organic Chemistry and Chemical Industry. Herein, we report a cheap, green and metal-free photocatalytic protocol for the oxidation of alcohols, utilizing air as the oxidant. A variety of substituted benzylic and secondary alcohols have been converted to the desired carbonyl compounds, in moderate to high yields. Extended and detailed mechanistic studies have been conducted, in order to determine the plausible mechanism of the reaction.