A supramolecular naphthalenediimide radical anion through host-guest interactions for photooxidation of alkylarenes to carbonyls.

A supramolecular naphthalenediimide radical anion was developed through host-guest interactions between NDI and cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), which can be greatly promoted in the presence of chloride ions to obtain Cl˙ and NDI-2CB[7]˙ - . Under the synergistic action of Cl˙ as a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) agent and NDI-2CB[7]˙ - transferring electrons to O 2 to produce O 2 ˙ - , the photocatalytic oxidation reactions of alkylarenes to carbonyls can be realized with universal applicability.