Recent advances on carbon nitride-based photocatalysts for organic transformations in aqueous media

Abstract

In recent years, carbon nitride-based photocatalysts have garnered significant attention for their role in facilitating organic transformations. As a solid-state sensitizer material, carbon nitride exhibits promising properties as a heterogeneous photocatalyst, making it suitable for a variety of organic reactions. Notably, its stability, water compatibility, and recoverability render it particularly appealing for organic transformations conducted in aqueous environments. Leveraging abundant and non-toxic water as a solvent aligns with green synthetic principles, promoting sustainable development. This review encompasses a range of organic transformations, including C–H functionalization, oxidation using oxygen, hydrogenation, and related sequential reactions, as well as cross-couplings conducted in aqueous media. Additionally, reactions employing water or heavy water as reactants to provide protons (or deuterium), electrons, and hydroxy groups are discussed. We anticipate that this summary will serve as a valuable resource for future studies aimed at advancing sustainable and environmentally friendly organic synthesis using carbon nitride photocatalysts.