M-CPOnes: Cyclopropenones and Transition Metal Complexes for Light-Triggered CO Release

Cyclopropenones are the smallest aromatic system and despite containing a strained three-membered ring, they are surprisingly stable due to this aromaticity. Upon irradiation cyclopropenones are known to release carbon monoxide in a process known as photodecarbonylation, resulting in the corresponding alkyne. Our group has reported M-CPOnes, transition metal complexes with cyclopropenone-containing ligands, for light-triggered CO release. The cyclopropenone is functionalised with electron-deficient N-heterocycles for metal coordination and the wavelength for photodecarbonylation can be tuned by introducing different transition metals and cyclopropenone substituents (Dalton Trans., 2022, 51, 6936 - 6943).