Photocatalytic Decarboxylative Hydroxylation of Carboxylic Acids Driven by Visible Light and Using Molecular Oxygen

This paper discloses the first example of photocatalytic direct decarboxylative hydroxylation of carboxylic acids. It enables the conversion of a variety of readily available carboxylic acids to alcohols in moderate to high yields. This unprecedented protocol is accomplished under extremely mild reaction conditions using molecular oxygen (O₂) as a green oxidant and using visible light as a driving force.