Visible-Light-Driven Benzylic C–H Oxidation Catalyzed by Bisphosphonium Salt

An efficient photocatalytic method for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds through the oxidation of benzyl C-H bonds was developed. A series of acetophenone derivatives were successfully synthesized by utilizing a bisphosphonium salt catalyst and molecular oxygen as the oxidant. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that the reaction mechanism involved a free-radical pathway.