Copper catalyst activation driven by photoinduced electron transfer: a prototype photolatent click catalyst.

PET cat. While the copper(II) tren ketoprofenate precatalyst 1 (see picture) is inactive at room temperature in methanol, it is quantitatively and rapidly reduced to its cuprous state upon light irradiation to provide a highly reactive click catalyst. By simply introducing air into the reaction medium the catalysis can be switched off and then switched on again by bubbling argon followed by irradiation.