Metal-Free Oxidation of a-Hydroxy Ketones to 1,2-Diketones Catalyzed by Mesoporous Carbon Nitride with Visible Light

As a photocatalyst, mesoporous carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4) shows higher photocatalytic activities in organic synthesis. Herein we report an mpg-C3N4-catalyzed oxidation of a-hydroxy ketones to synthesize 1,2-diketones using visible light. This transformation represents a green and highly efficient synthetic route to synthesize 1,2-diketones for which catalytic approaches are scarce.