Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The diverse synthetic applications offered by the — so far not widely explored — excited-state catalysis has intensified the need for development of new EnT catalysts. Herein, we uncover the high efficiency of an unrecognized class, aromatic aldehydes, as EnT photocatalysts. Structure-catalytic efficiency relationship studies on a wide range of common, commercially available and cheap aromatic aldehydes led to the discovery that several aldehydes, for example biphenyl-4-carboxaldehyde, 1-naphthaldehyde and 2-methoxy-1-naphthaldehyde, are highly efficient catalysts for [2+2] cycloadditions and isomerizations under UVA irradiation. To explore the theoretical underpinnings of this catalysis, computational studies combined with principal component analysis suggested that both energy factors and aromaticity/antiaromaticity of ground and excited states contribute to the overall outcome. A wide substrate scope for cyclobutanes/cyclobutenes construction by the addition of alkenes/alkynes to N -arylmaleimides along with dimethyl fumarate isomerization and the dimerization of cinnamates to truxinates demonstrated the wide potential of aromatic aldehydes, expanding the EnT photocatalyst-space.
Source: ChemRxiv
Language: English
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7205013507