Photoredox catalysis is important in organic chemistry because it offers a new way to complete radical reactions without using chemicals that are harmful to the environment or particularly dangerous to use. In this project, carbazoles, aromatic heterocyclic compounds, were synthesized to use as the photocatalysts. Carbazoles are of interest because of their high excited state reduction potentials and they are inexpensive to synthesize. Both <i>N</i>-phenyl and <i>N</i>-mesityl carbazoles were derivatized to include groups at the 3- and 6-positions, such as 4-methylphenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, phenyl, and 4-trifluoromethylphenyl. This was done by first brominating the 3- and 6-positions, then performing a Pd-catalyzed Suzuki reaction to install the phenyl derivatives. The carbazole derivatives are currently being characterized to determine the reduction potential of each and their absorption properties to determine how well these derivatives will behave in photoredox reactions and to see if they can be improved.

Synthesis and characterization of carbazoles for photoredox catalysis

2019 Spring National Meeting

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