title: Light-driven organocatalysis using inexpensive, nontoxic Bi2O3 as the photocatalyst.
abstract: The development of enantioselective catalytic processes that make use of sunlight as the energy source and nontoxic, affordable materials as catalysts represents one of the new and rapidly evolving areas in chemical research. The direct asymmetric α-alkylation of aldehydes with α-bromocarbonyl compounds can be successfully achieved by combining bismuth-based materials as low-band-gap photocatalysts with the second-generation MacMillan imidazolidinone as the chiral catalyst and simulated sunlight as a low-cost and clean energy source. This reaction also proceeded with high efficiency when the reaction vial was exposed to the morning sunlight on a clear September day in Tarragona, Spain.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), Avda.Països Catalans 16, 43007 Tarragona (Spain).
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riente
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matas Adams
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albero
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palomares
authors.forename: Miquel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pericàs
keywords: alkylation; bismuth oxide; organocatalysis; photocatalysis; visible light