Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing an ?-aryl substituted carbonyl compound (e.g., an ?-aryl substituted cyclic ketone) from a carbonyl compound (e.g., a cyclic ketone) using an aryl halide or a heteroaryl halide and a photocatalyst (e.g., acridinium, helicenium, angulenium, or a combination thereof) in the presence of an amine compound. The method of the present invention is particularly useful in producing an ?-aryl substituted carbonyl compound (e.g., an ?-aryl substituted cyclic ketone) from an unactivated carbonyl compound (e.g., an unactivated cyclic ketone).

Abstract: The present invention provides a compound comprising a moiety of the formula: (I) where said moiety of formula I is a radical, a cation, or a radical dication; Y1, Y2, Y3, R1a, R1b, R1c, R1d, R2a, R2b, R2c, R2d, R3a, R3b, R3c, and R3d are as defined herein. Compounds containing a moiety of Formula I are useful in a wide variety of applications including, but not limited to, as photocatalysts, use in OLEDs, in electronic components, etc. As an organic-based photocatalysts, compounds containing a moiety of Formula I are activated by a relatively low energy electromagnetic wavelength, e.g., wavelength of 600 nm or greater. Furthermore, compounds of the invention can be used as both photoreduction catalysts and photooxidation catalysts.