Photocatalytic Selective Oxidation of Alcohols to Acids by Carbon Dots in O2.

Photocatalytic oxidation of alcohols to acids represents the eco-friendly and sustainable route for producing high-value chemicals. Developing an efficient and mild photocatalytic system for this target is still a great challenge, especially in selective oxidation control. Herein, vanillic acid-based carbon dots (VA-CDs) are conveniently prepared as an efficient photocatalyst for the selective oxidation of alcohols to acids. This photocatalytic method exhibits mild reaction conditions and high catalytic activity. Various functional-group-substituted alcohols could be smoothly oxidized into corresponding acids in excellent selectivity in the solvent ethyl acetate using O2 as oxidant. The photogenerated holes and superoxide radical generated by irradiation of VA-CDs lead to efficient alcohol transformation and high acid/aldehyde selectivity. This work provides a green and sustainable mode for alcohol oxidation and expands the application of CDs in photo-organocatalysis.