Visible light-mediated photocatalytic coupling between tetrazoles and carboxylic acids for biomolecule labelling†

Abstract

Photocatalytic biomolecular labelling is gaining attention as a foundational technique for analyzing biological phenomena. However, photocatalytic reactions compatible with physiological conditions remain limited. Here, we present a photocatalytic reaction of diaryltetrazoles to generate nitrile imines, which readily couple with carboxylic acids in aqueous environments. This reaction is applied for photocatalyst-dependent labelling of proteins and cells.