This paper is dedicated to Prof. Xiyan Lu on the occasion of his 94th birthday.
Release of alcohol from quinone propionic esters (QPEs) propelled by visible-light is reported. 1°, 2°, and allylic alcohols could be freed from the corresponding QPEs under radiation from blue LED bulb in the presence of a photocatalyst. Ten examples are listed and the yields are good to excellent. Possible mechanism has been proposed and further applications of quinone propionic acid (QPA) in photochemistry would be expected.
Key words
protective group - QPA - visible-light - photocatalyst - organo-reductant - Hantszch ester