A variety of phenols
have been obtained in aqueous media
with moderate
to excellent chemical yields (≤100%) by using arylboronic acids
and esters as substrates, a robust CdS-TiO2nanohybrid
as a heterogeneous photocatalyst, visible light irradiation (467 nm),
and an O2-saturated atmosphere. The nanohybrid was prepared
through a linker-assisted methodology that uses mercapto alkanoic
acids as the organic linkers. The nanohybrid showed improved photocatalytic
activity in the hydroxylation of substituted arylboronic acids and
phenyl boronic esters compared with that of pristine CdS quantum dots.
The nanohybrid can be reused in up to five photocatalytic cycles with
∼90% of its outstanding activity preserved.