Carbon Nitride with Single‐Atom Nickel as Co‐Catalyst for Visible‐Light Promoted C—O Coupling†

Abstract

Comprehensive SummarySolar‐driven cross‐coupling reactions by dual nickel/photocatalysis under mild conditions have received considerable attention. However, the existing photo/nickel dual catalytic cross‐coupling reactions require the addition of expensive photosensitizers and organic ligands, and the catalytic activity is inadequate. Herein, we report a nickel single‐atom heterogeneous catalyst supported on mesoporous carbon nitride for photocatalytic C—O coupling reaction between 4‐bromobenzonitrile and ethanol, affording 4‐ethoxybenzonitrile in excellent yield compared to a semi‐heterogeneous catalytic system. The catalytic system exhibits a broad substrate scope including ketones, aldehydes, esters, and amides. This work presents a simple and cost‐effective strategy for anchoring metal single atoms onto carbon nitride, providing a new platform for enabling high‐performance photocatalytic production of aryl ether compounds.