Photoinduced Cleavage of N-N Bonds of Aromatic Hydrazines and Hydrazides by Visible Light

A photocatalytic system involving [Ru(bpyrz)3](PF6)2˙2H2O, visible light, and air has been developed for cleavage of the N-N bonds of hydrazines and hydrazides. This catalytic system is generally effective for N,N-disubstituted hydrazine and hydrazide derivatives, including arylhydrazides, N-alkyl-N-arylhydrazines, and N,N-diarylhydrazines. The utility of this cleavage reaction has been demonstrated by synthesizing a variety of secondary aromatic amines.