Sustainable White-Light Photocatalytic Synthesis of 2-Chalcogenonaphthalenes

Organochalcogen compounds are structurally diverse and relevant in modern chemistry; however, classical syntheses of important derivatives, such as 2-chalcogenonaphthalenes, remain underexplored due to the reliance on harsh, toxic, and poorly selective synthetic methods^1-3. In this context, photocatalysis stands out as a more selective alternative, operating without heavy metals or high temperatures⁴. Within, our approach aims to establish a sustainable synthetic route for this chalcogen‑functionalized aromatic cores. The optimization of the reaction conditions was initially carried out using compound 1a as the substrate (Figure 1A). Key parameters were systematically evaluated to optimize efficiency (Figure 1B), including light source (entries 1–3), photocatalyst use (entries 4–6), reaction time and power (entries 7–9), and additives (entries 10–12). Ultimately, condition 9 proved to be the most efficient, involving 100 W white light for 10 hours at r.t., using SnCl₂.2H₂O as the additive. With this approach, reaction scope covered 26 molecules, varying dichalcogenides and alkynols