Abstract
Photoredox catalysis is a rapidly evolving platform for synthetic methods development.
The prominent use of acridinium salts as a sustainable option for photoredox catalysts
has driven the development of more robust and synthetically useful versions based
on this scaffold. However, more complicated syntheses, increased cost, and limited
commercial availability have hindered the adoption of these catalysts by the greater
synthetic community. By utilizing the direct conversion of a xanthylium salt into
the corresponding acridinium as the key transformation, we present an efficient and
scalable preparation of the most synthetically useful acridinium reported to date.
This divergent strategy also enabled the preparation of a suite of novel acridinium
dyes, allowing for a systematic investigation of substitution effects on their photophysical
properties.
Key words
photoredox - catalysis - synthesis - acridinium - organocatalyst