LAUSR

Abstract The development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts for fine chemical synthesis is critical for practical applications. Herein, for the first time, the zirconium-based metal-organic framework (UiO-66-NH2) is applied as an efficiently heterogeneous photocatalyst for conversion of benzyl halides to corresponding aldehydes with high selectivity (about 80 %) and conversion (up to 99 %) in the presence of oxygen and DMF as solvent. Through a series of experiments and analysis, the reaction mechanism is proposed to involve nucleophilic attack of the N-oxide. This study provides a general, environmental and high selective method to prepare benzaldehydes and broadens the application fields of UiO-66-NH2.