Porphyrins as Promising Photocatalysts for Red-Light-Induced Functionalizations of Biomolecules

National Science Centre Poland (MAESTRO UMO-2020/38/A/ST4/00185 and SONATA UMO-2020/39/D/ST4/01510) Foundation for Polish Science (092.2021 starting in 2020)

Red-light enables deeper material penetration, which is important for biological applications and has consequences for chemical synthesis. Therefore, the search for new photocatalysts that absorb in this region is crucial. Despite the undeniable utility of porphyrins in blue- and green-light-induced energy- and electron-transfer processes, they are also perfectly suited for redlight applications. Herein, we describe free-base porphyrins as photoredox catalysts for red-light-induced organic transformations. They can act as both photooxidants and photoreductants and can accomplish the synthesis of biaryls once merged with Pd-catalysis. The developed methodology holds promise for broader applications, as the heme-based protoporphyrin is used as a photocatalyst and reactions can be realized in aqueous conditions.