Synthetic application of photoactive porous monolithic polymers

The oxidation of 2-furoic acid to 5-hydroxy-5H-furan-2-one has been accomplished in quantitative yield in chloroform using a novel supported photocatalyst. This material comprises Rose Bengal grafted to the surface of a highly crosslinked polystyrene-divinylbenzene polymer, which was synthesized in a porous monolithic format.