Artificial photosynthesis directed toward organic synthesis

In nature, plants convert solar energy into chemical energy via water oxidation. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, artificial photosynthesis has been gaining increasing interest in the field of sustainability/green science and technology as a non-natural and thermodynamically endergonic (ΔG° > 0, uphill) solar-energy-driven reaction that uses water as an electron donor and a source material. Among the artificial-photosynthesis processes, inorganic-synthesis reactions via water oxidation, including water splitting and CO2-to-fuel conversion, have been attracting much attention. In contrast, the synthesis of high-value functionalized organic compounds via artificial photosynthesis, which we have termed artificial photosynthesis directed toward organic synthesis (APOS), remains a great challenge. Herein, we report a synthetically pioneering and meaningful strategy of APOS, where the carbohydroxylation of C = C double bonds is accomplished via a three-component coupling with H2 evolution using dual functions of semiconductor photocatalysts, i.e., silver-loaded titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO2) and rhodium–chromium–cobalt-loaded aluminum-doped strontium titanate (RhCrCo/SrTiO3:Al). Emulating the concept of natural photosynthesis has long been a focus of chemists in an effort to harness solar light as an energy source using water as an electron donor and a source material. Here, the authors present an artificial photosynthetic system that can functionalize styrenes via C–H activation and water splitting.