Visible‐Light‐Driven Germyl Radical Generation via EDA‐Catalyzed ET–HAT Process

Abstract

AbstractWe have established a facile and efficient protocol for the generation of germyl radicals by employing photo‐excited electron transfer (ET) in an electron donor‐acceptor (EDA) complex to drive hydrogen‐atom transfer (HAT) from germyl hydride (R3GeH). Using a catalytic amount of EDA complex of commercially available thiol and benzophenone derivatives, the ET‐HAT cycle smoothly proceeds simply upon blue‐light irradiation without any transition metal or photocatalyst. This protocol also affords silyl radical from silyl hydride.