Alkane Oxidation via Photochemical Excitation of a Self-Assembled Molecular Cage.

To explore the intrinsic photoresponsible nature of coordination cage 1, authors examined the photoexcitation of the cage itself accommodating inert alkane guests. When adamantane-encapsulated complex 1⊃(2)4 was irradiated under aerobic conditions, authors found the regioselective oxidization of 2 at a tertiary carbon. An aqueous solution of 1⊃(2)4 complex was prepared by suspending powdered 2 in D20 solution of cage 1 and irradiated by a high-pressure mercury lamp in a Pyrex tube at room temperature for 30 mm under air.