Wavelength Selective Generation of Aryl Radicals and Aryl Cations for Metal-Free Photoarylations

Photochemical reactions have become an important tool for organic chemists. Visible (solar) light can be conveniently adopted, however, only when using colored organic compounds or in photocatalyzed processes induced by visible light absorbing photocatalysts. Herein we demonstrate that a photolabile, colored moiety could be incorporated in a colorless organic compound with the aim of generating highly reactive intermediates upon exposure to visible (solar) light. Arylazo sulfones, colored thermally stable derivatives of aryl diazonium salts, were used as valuable substrates for the photoinduced metal-free synthesis of (hetero)biaryls with no need of a (photo)catalyst or of other additives to promote the reaction. Noteworthy, selective generation of aryl radicals and aryl cations can be attained at will by varying the irradiation conditions (visible light for the former and UVA light for the latter).