Evolution of manganese low-energy photoredox catalysis from high-energy visible light photocatalysis.

Yang, Wei; Song, Yawen; Yu, Xuehan; Tian, Meng; Lan, Yu; Wang, Ya-Nan; Jiang, Xiaoyu; Liu, Shihan et al. · Nat Commun · 2026

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Reducing the energy input of light in photocatalytic reactions is desirable yet challenging, as modifying the light-absorbing or catalytic properties of a photocatalyst typically requires tedious preparation, resulting in a lengthy development process. Here, we overcome this limitation by achieving manganese-based low-energy photoredox catalysis through the in-situ assembly of simple Mn salts with inexpensive coordinating chemicals, thereby bypassing the need for complex pre-preparation. Assembling Mn(acac)<sub>2</sub>, 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-diamine, and TMSN<sub>3</sub> in-situ forms a visible-light-absorbing system that, upon blue-light irradiation, generates azido radicals to drive an anti-Markovnikov hydroazidation of unactivated alkenes with H<sub>2</sub>O as the hydrogen source. Building on this assembly strategy, the combination of Mn(acac)<sub>3</sub> and TMSN<sub>3</sub> in CH<sub>3</sub>CN/HFIP yields a system with a light-absorption range extended to 850 nm; this feature is further leveraged to unlock the selective aerobic hydroxyazidation of alkenes in a single step. These findings pave the way for the development of in-situ-assembled, 3 d metal-based low-energy photochemistry.