Discovery of EDA-Complex Photochemical Reactions Using Computational Vision

Herein, we report a multidimensional screening strategy to discover Electron Donor-Acceptor (EDA) complex photochemical reactions using only simple photographic devices, such as webcams or cellphones, combined with TLC analysis. An algorithm was designed to automatically identify EDA-complex reactive mixtures in solution by processing digital images from a 96-well microplate, alongside TLC results. The code detects the absorption region of the mixture in the visible spectrum and quantifies color changes through grayscale values. Integrated automatic TLC analysis further classifies mixtures as colorimetric reactions, non-reactive, or potentially reactive EDA complexes. Leveraging this screening platform, we have developed a new EDA-mediated approach to synthesize iminophosphoranes in yields up to 90%.