Potassium-modified carbon nitride photocatalyzed-aminoacylation of N‑sulfonyl ketimines

The development of innovative and sustainable catalytic strategies for organic synthesis is a pivotal aspect of advancing material science and chemical engineering. This research presents a new catalytic method for the aminoacylation of N‑sulfonyl ketimines by utilizing a potassium-doped graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) framework. This method not only enhances the catalytic efficiency and broadens the light absorption spectrum of g-C₃N₄ but also significantly reduces the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs, thereby increasing the reaction yield and selectivity. Importantly, our approach facilitates the synthesis of aminoacylated N-heterocycles, expanding the applicability of potassium-modified g-C₃N₄ in photocatalytic organic synthesis. A notable accomplishment of this study is the unprecedented generation of carbamoyl radicals via heterogeneous photocatalysis, which can be easily recycled after reaction. This advancement highlights the capability of potassium-doped g-C₃N₄ (namely K-CN) as an advanced heterogeneous photocatalyst for the formation of complex organic compounds.