A Porous Carbazolic Al-MOF for Efficient Aerobic Photo-Oxidation of Sulfides into Sulfoxides under Air

A robust, microporous, and photoactive aluminum-based metal-organic framework (Al-MOF, LCU-600) has been assembled by an in situ-formed [Al3O(CO2)(6)] trinuclear building unit and a tritopic carbazole ligand. LCU-600 shows a high water stability and permanent porosity for N-2 and CO2 adsorption. Notably, the incorporation of photoresponsive carbazole moieties into LCU-600 makes it a highly efficient and recyclable photocatalyst for aerobic photo-oxidation of sulfides into sulfoxides under an air atmosphere at room temperature. Mechanism investigations unveil that photogenerated holes (h(+)), superoxide radical anion (O center dot-), and singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) are critical active spices for the photo-oxidation reaction performed in an air atmosphere.