The development of photocatalytic systems utilizing sustainable electron sources such as water and alcohol under visible light irradiation is a major challenge in green sustainable chemistry. This work represents a significant step toward the utilization of abundant and sustainable electron sources for visible light-driven organic synthesis by derivatization of natural bio-related metal complexes. In this study, a novel catalytic system composed of a cobalt-based vitamin B12 complex and semiconductors such as tungsten oxide (WO3) and metal ion-modified titanium oxide (Mn+-TiO2) was developed to enable visible light-driven molecular transformations. The effective utilization of alcohol and water as electron donors contributes to the advancement of bioinspired green catalysis. The catalytic system was successfully applied to esterification reactions using alcohol as the electron source, achieving high yields under mild conditions in air. In addition, a visible light-driven organic reaction using water as the electron donor was realized for the first time, converting trichloromethylated organic compounds to carboxylic acids with moderate yields. The integration of vitamin B12-based photocatalysis with semiconductor materials provides new opportunities for the design of artificial photosynthesis-inspired catalytic systems.
References
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