Aerobic Oxidation of Olefins and Lignin Model Compounds Using Photogenerated Phthalimide-N-oxyl Radical.

A metal-free protocol to generate phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) radicals from N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) via a photoinduced proton-coupled electron transfer process is reported. Using donor-substituted aromatic ketones, such as 4,4'-bis(diphenylamino)benzophenone (DPA-BP), PINO radicals are efficiently produced and subsequently utilized to functionalize olefins to afford a new class of alkyl hydroperoxides. The DPA-BP/NHPI/O2 photocatalytic system exhibits high efficiency toward the aerobic oxidation of β-O-4 lignin models.