Photocatalytic Regeneration of a Nicotinamide Adenine Nucleotide Mimic with Water-Soluble Iridium(III) Complexes

[Image: see text] Nicotinamide adenine nucleotide (NADH) is involved in many biologically relevant redox reactions, and the photochemical regeneration of its oxidized form (NAD(+)) under physiological conditions is of interest for combined photo- and biocatalysis. Here, we demonstrate that tri-anionic, water-soluble variants of typically very lipophilic iridium(III) complexes can photo-catalyze the reduction of an NAD(+) mimic in a comparatively efficient manner. In combination with a well-known rhodium co-catalyst to facilitate regioselective reactions, these iridium(III) photo-reductants outcompete the commonly used [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) photosensitizer in water by up to 1 order of magnitude in turnover frequency. This improved reactivity is attributable to the strong excited-state electron donor properties and the good chemical robustness of the tri-anionic iridium(III) sensitizers, combined with their favorable Coulombic interaction with the di-cationic rhodium co-catalyst. Our findings seem relevant in the greater context of photobiocatalysis, for which access to strong, efficient, and robust photoreductants with good water solubility can be essential.