Nitrogen Oxides and Nitric Acid Enable the Sustainable Hydroxylation and Nitrohydroxylation of Benzenes under Visible Light Irradiation.

A new type of waste recycling strategy is described in which nitrogen oxides or nitric acid are directly employed in photocatalyzed hydroxylations and nitrohydroxylations of benzenes. Through these transformations, otherwise costly denitrification can be combined with the synthesis of valuable compounds for various applications.