Hydrofunctionalization of Olefins to Higher Aliphatic Alcohols via Visible-Light Photocatalytic Coupling

Abstract An atomically economical green protocol for the hydrofunctionalization of olefins to higher aliphatic alcohols with 100% anti-Markovnikov regioselectivity was developed via visible-light photocatalytic coupling. This method employs cheap, readily available and abundant methanol as both the C1 feedstock and the hydrogen source under visible light irradiation over CdS photocatalyst. A wide scope of olefin substrates could be hydrofunctionalized successfully to the corresponding higher alcohols with high selectivity. Besides alcohol, acetone and acetonitrile can also couple with olefins to generate the corresponding hydrofunctionalization products, suggesting promising potential industrial application. Graphical Abstract Hydrofunctionalization of olefins to value-added chemicals with high selectivity was achieved via visible-light photocatalytic cross-coupling.