WARF TECHNOLOGIES

UW-Madison researchers have designed a new class of photocatalysts that incorporate carbazole-functionalized N-donor ligands, “Cz-pybox”, that possess the desired reactivity/stereoselectivity and are synthesized from commercially available starting materials in three steps. The chiral centers are maintained throughout the synthesis, eliminating the need for isomer separation and subsequent poor yields. These new chiral photocatalysts are tuned to stabilize substrate binding, and to make the energy of the charge-transfer excitation more accessible. In addition, their modularity enables the synthesis of many structurally varied analogues for fine-tuning of reactivity and selectivity for different chemical applications.

• Tehshik Yoon

• Riley M. Kelch et al., Modular enantioselective photocatalysts from privileged pybox scaffolds. Science 392, 188-193 (2026). DOI:10.1126/science.aeb5832

• Materials & Chemicals : Synthesis