Johnson Solid Gold Nanoclusters as Heterogeneous Visible-Light Photocatalysts for Fukuyama Indole Synthesis
Li‐Juan Liu, Xiaxi Lei, Jun Guo, Xiaoyong Mo, Yuhan Lao, Shengli Zhuang, Hong Zeng, Shun Yang, Yue Zhao, Wenwu Xu, Jian He
Abstract
Despite notable advancements in noble metal photocatalysis, improving catalyst efficiency and recyclability remains a key challenge that needs to be addressed to facilitate large-scale synthetic applications. Herein, we have successfully synthesized bisphosphine-protected gold nanoclusters with a distinctive Johnson solid kernel, which serve as efficient and recyclable heterogeneous photocatalysts for visible-light-driven three-component radical couplings in Fukuyama indole synthesis. In contrast to conventional gold complexes, the newly developed cluster-based catalysts can be easily photoexcited to their triplet states by visible light, enabling single-electron transfer with O -acyl oximes, a hitherto unexplored class of electrophiles in gold photocatalysis. Our latest discovery suggests that establishing photocatalytic systems based on atomically precise metal nanoclusters with unique structural and electronic properties represents a promising avenue for advancing chemical synthesis in a sustainable and practical manner.