The interception of a copper-based carbene radical with an α-carbonyl diazomethane radical: C1/C1N2 copolymerization

Poly(imidazole-Cu)-mediated C1/C1N2 copolymerization of ethyl diazoacetate involved copper-based carbene radical and α-carbonyl diazomethane radical intermediates, which could be captured by radical traps and detected by room-temperature EPR spectroscopy. The obtained C1/C1N2 copolymer could be used as a new kind of upconversion agent for the non-invasive bioimaging study.