Visible light-catalytic dehydrogenation of benzylic alcohols to carbonyl compounds by using an eosin Y and nickel–thiolate complex dual catalyst system

Abstract

We developed a simple and environmentally benign visible-light-driven dehydrogenation of benzylic alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones. By using the dual catalyst system consisting of eosin Y as a photocatalyst and a Ni(II) complex as a proton reduction catalyst, we could dehydrogenate benzylic alcohols to aldehydes or ketones with excellent yields under mild conditions. The sole byproduct is hydrogen gas.