Rapid microwave synthesis of Bi2WO6 for C=C bonds oxidative cleavage to ketones with visible light irradiation in aerobic micellar medium

Selective synthesis of ketones with medicinal value through C=C bond cleavage is crucial. However, expensive reagents and harsh conditions are often essential for this synthesis method. Herein, a green and efficient method is proposed to obtain ketones through visible light promoted aerobic oxidative cleavage of C=C bonds of alkenes in micellar medium. 37 examples can occur using the Bi2WO6 as a recyclable photocatalyst which prepared by a microwave method, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant in water, under visible light irradiation with O2 balloon. In this reaction, Bi2WO6 can be reused 7 times and maintain high catalytic activity. Both control experiments and the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments jointly reveal that holes, electrons, and superoxide radicals play essential roles in the reaction system. Moreover, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations are also used to confirm the feasibility of photocatalytic oxidation cleavage of the C=C double bond to prepare ketones.