C6 to C17 Organic Products from Artificial Photosynthesis Catalyzed by 2-Phenyl Indole (PI) Titanium Tetrachloride Complex (PI)2TiCl4. The Synergism of Hydroxyl Radicals.

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The newly discovered process of Artificial Photosynthesis, catalyzed by 2-phenyl indole (PI) and TiCl4 complexes activated by visible light, can produce long-chain oxygenated hydrocarbons up to C17. This begins with the formation of α-carboxylic acid-ω-aldehyde compounds ranging from C6 to C9, which result from a cascade of autocatalytic organotitanium complexes originating from (PI)₂TiCl₄. These complexes form after hydrolysis by ambient air humidity and the direct atmospheric capture (DAC) of CO2. The carbon chain growth leverages system-generated formaldehyde as a feedstock. The initial C6 to C9 compounds may undergo further dimerization through a radical process initiated by hydroxyl radicals. A proposed mechanism explores the synergistic interaction between organotitanium catalysis and hydroxyl radicals.