Dehydrogenative Transformations of Imines Using a Heterogeneous Photocatalyst

Heterogeneous semiconductors are underexploited as photoredox catalysts in organic synthesis relative to their homogeneous, molecular counterparts. Here, we report the use of metal/TiO2 particles as catalysts for light-induced dehydrogenative imine transformations. The highly oxophilic nature of the TiO2 surface promotes the selective binding and dehydrogenation of alcohols in the presence of other oxidizable and Lewis basic functional groups. This feature enables the clean photogeneration of aldehyde equivalents that can be utilized in multicomponent couplings.