4,4-Di?uoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dyes are organic dyes which have excellent thermal
and photochemical stability, high ?uorescence quantum yield and good solubility. Four BODIPY dyes were
made and used to investigate the oxidation of thioanisole under visible light. BODIPY dyes were shown
to be highly active photocatalysts which are comparable to the metal complex, like Ru(bpy)
3
2+
. This
work highlights the potential of using BODIPY as photocatalysts for a number of important organic
transformations.