Identification of the Structure of Triethanolamine Oxygenation Products in Carbon Nitride Photocatalysis

Triethanolamine (TEOA) is one of the most commonly used sacrificial agents in photocatalysis. Due to its more complex structure compared to, for example, ethanol, and its sacrificial role in photocatalysis, it gives a mixture of products. The structures of these molecules are not usually analyzed. Herein, we obtain and isolate the products of TEOA and N-tert-butyl diethanolamine oxygenation under photocatalytic conditions with approximate to 15 % yield, and followingly characterized them by NMR and mass spectroscopy. The reaction is mediated by potassium poly(heptazine imide) (K-PHI) in the presence of O-2 and affords formyl esters of beta-hydroxyethylene formamides from the corresponding ethanolamines.