Cover Feature: Excitation of Radical Anions of Naphthalene Diimides in Consecutive‐ and Electro‐Photocatalysis (13/2021)

Abstract

The Cover Feature depicts a schematic soccer game representing two strategies for the radical C-H substitution reaction catalyzed by naphthalene diimides (NDIs): a consecutive photoinduced electron transfer (conPET) and an electro photoinduced electron transfer (electroPET). A ball (electron) coming from different sources reaches a comfortable spectator (the substrate) after passing through the players (NDI catalyst). In their Full Paper, S. Caby et al. studied a family of NDI photocatalysts comparing a “pure” photochemical and an electro-photochemical transformation. They identify a system that has the potential to be applied in both approaches and recognize the excitation of radical anion of NDI as the key event. Both approaches produce similar yields and reaction rates, although a conPET process shows in principle a simpler setup and more tolerance to a poor catalyst solubility, the electroPET process improves selectivity and gives more room for optimization. More information can be found in the Full Paper by S. Caby et al.