Facile synthesis of a ruthenium assembly and its application for light-driven oxidation of alcohols in water

A supramolecular assembly containing two light harvesting fragments [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+) and one catalytic unit [Ru(tpy)(bpy)Cl](+) was synthesized in a facile manner in 90% yield, and exhibited high photocatalytic product-selectivity compared with the corresponding bimolecular system in the light-driven oxidation of alcohols using [Co(NH3)(5)Cl]Cl-2 as a sacrificial oxidant in water at room temperature.