Photoinduced Charge-Transfer State of 4-Carbazolyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzoic Acid: Photophysical Property and Application to Reduction of Carbon-Halogen Bonds as a Sensitizer

The photoinduced persistent intramolecular charge-transfer state of 4-carbazolyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid was confirmed. It showed a higher catalytic activity in terms of yield and selectivity in the photochemical reduction of alkyl halides compared to the parent carbazole. Even unactivated primary alkyl bromides could be reduced by this photocatalyst. The high catalytic activity is rationalized by considering the slower backward single-electron transfer owing to the spatial separation of the donor and acceptor subunits.