Photoredox catalysis has brought to light exciting avenues for the spatiotemporally controlled synthesis and modification of polymers and small molecules. In these reactions, a photoexcited transition-metal or organic dye (photocatalyst) performs single-electron transfer to oxidize or reduce a non-photoactive substrate, thus activating the substrate for bond-forming reactions. Alternatively, using a light-absorbing substrate, one can envision that the substrate can be directly photoexcited, enabling selectivity in the presence of multiple species with distinct excited-state properties. In this talk, I will describe the development of two reactions based on this principle. Detailed investigations into the mechanisms of these reactions have revealed unconventional roles for light.

Seeing photochemistry in a new light: Unusual mechanisms in the synthesis of organic materials

ACS Spring 2022

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