Visible light-induced 4-phenylthioxanthone-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of triarylphosphines

We report herein a visible light-induced oxidation of triarylphosphines under aerobic condition with excellent functional group tolerance. In this transformation, the photo catalyst 4-phenylthioxanthone acted as a photosensitizer for the in situ generation of singlet oxygen. This new approach provided a cheaper and greener method for the preparation of phosphine oxide, showing great advantages in environmental protocols. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.