Visible‐Light‐Driven Oxidative Cleavage of Alkenes Using Water‐Soluble CdSe Quantum Dots

Abstract The oxidative cleavage of C=C bonds is an important chemical reaction, which is a popular reaction in the photocatalytic field. However, high catalyst‐loading and low turnover number (TON) are general shortcomings in reported visible‐light‐driven reactions. Herein, the direct oxidative cleavage of C=C bonds through water‐soluble CdSe quantum dots (QDs) is described under visible‐light irradiation at room temperature with high TON (up to 3.7×10 4 ). Under the same conditions, water‐soluble CdSe QDs could also oxidize sulfides to sulfoxides with 51–84 % yields and TONs up to 3.4×10 4 . The key features of this photocatalytic protocol include high TONs, wide substrates scope, low catalyst loadings, simple and mild reaction conditions, and molecular O 2 as the oxidant.