Light-Triggered Ruthenium-Catalyzed Allylcarbamate Cleavage in Biological Environments

The sandwich complex [Cp*Ru(η6-pyrene)]PF6 (Cp* = η5-C5(CH3)5) serves as a photoactivatable catalyst for the conversion of N-allylcarbamates into their amines in the presence of thiophenol under biorelevant conditions (water, air, plus aliphatic thiols) and even in mammalian cells. This new phototriggered substrate/catalyst pair points towards applications in chemical biology and medicinal chemistry where signal amplification is combined with spacial and temporal control.