Visible Light-Induced Direct S0 → Tn Transition of Benzophenone Promotes C(sp3)-H Alkynylation of Ethers and Amides.

Benzophenone has an S0 → S1 absorption band at 365 nm. However, the rarely reported S0 → Tn transition occurs upon irradiation at longer wavelengths. Herein, we employed benzophenone as a catalyst and exploited its S0 → Tn transition in C(sp3)-H alkynylations with hypervalent iodine reagents. The selective benzophenone excitation prevented alkynylating reagent decomposition, enabling the reaction to proceed under mild conditions. The reaction mechanism was investigated by spectroscopic and computational studies.