Visible-Light-Induced Formation of Aromatic Ketones: A Metal-Free C−H Oxygenation Process in Air under Room Temperature

The process of light-induced C-H oxygenation is of high interest as it can be used for the construction of oxygenated compounds. Herein, we report a mild and general method for the efficient synthesis of aromatic ketones following the process of metal-free C-H oxygenation. With air as the oxidant, high functional tolerance was demonstrated, and the desired ketones were obtained in moderate to excellent yields at room temperature (25 oC). Mechanistic studies suggested that the oxidative transformation potentially occurred via an electron transfer pathway.