Nitrogen-doped Carbon Dots as Biobased Catalysts for Visible Light Driven 1,2-Functionalization of Olefins through an Atom Transfer Radical Addition Process

Amorphous nitrogen-doped carbon dots (a-N-CDs) have been obtained under hydrothermal conditions from citric acid and diethylenetriamine (DETA) as the carbon and nitrogen source, respectively. Such materials exhibit a significant absorption in the visible light region and have been successfully employed as photoredox catalyst under violet LED irradiation for the 1,2-difunctionalization of olefins via an atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) process. The reported approach occurs smoothly under metal-free conditions in an aqueous medium, showcasing the (yet not completely explored) applications of such bio-derived carbon materials in organic synthesis.