Type I Strong Acceptor-Weak Acceptor Photosensitizing Assemblies for Regulated Aerobic Oxidative Coupling of Anilines

Abstract

Type I photostable photosensitizing assemblies of DPZ-TPY have been developed using phenazine as strong acceptor and terpyridine groups as weak acceptors. The as prepared DPZ-TPY assemblies exhibit sufficient excited state potential to catalyse the synthesis of symmetrical azoaromatics through direct regulated oxidation of anilines in excellent yields without the formation of over oxidized product. Consequently, DPZ-TPY assemblies could also catalyse the formation of unsymmetrical azoaromatics starting from hydrazobenzenes under mild reaction conditions. The potential of DPZ-TPY assemblies to catalyse the gram scale synthesis reveals their real time application.