Development of polymer-immobilised acridinium catalyst and its application in photoinduced 1,4-addition to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

Efficient heterogeneous catalysts for green and sustainable chemistry are in high demand. In this study, a novel polymer-immobilised acridinium salt was developed, and it was found to catalyse the visible-light-induced 1,4-addition of phenylmalononitrile to α,β -unsaturated carboxylic acids. The catalyst was easy to recover after the reaction and was sufficiently robust to maintain its catalytic activity for several uses without a significant decrease in product yield.