Carbon nitride assisted chemoselective C–H bond photo-oxidation of alkylphenolethoxylates in water medium

Abstract

The unprecedented ability of g-C3N4 to chemoselectively photo-oxidise the methyl group of 2-(4-methylphenoxy)ethanol instead of the easily oxidised oxyethanol fragment has been demonstrated. When g-C3N4 is treated with H2O2, its selectivity enhances due to the blocking of surface sites responsible for the adsorption and the subsequent oxidation of the oxyethanol substituent.