Aliphatic aldehydes as CO surrogates via photocatalyzed hydrogen atom transfer

The search for safe and practical carbon monoxide (CO) surrogates is central to unlocking the full potential of carbonylation chemistry in academic settings. Herein, we propose aliphatic aldehydes as a convenient class of CO photosurrogates under photocatalyzed decarbonylative Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT) conditions. Compared to previously reported surrogates, whose synthesis is often a daunting task, these carbonyl compounds are inexpensive, commercially available, and already present in standard laboratory inventories. From a conceptual standpoint, this light-mediated approach overcomes a longstanding limitation in the use of aldehydes as CO surrogates, namely the reliance on expensive noble metal catalysis under forcing conditions to enable CO release.