The use of light to speed up chemical reactions or to drive chemical transformations that are endoergonic in the dark is known since the origin of photochemistry. The last decade has evidenced an impressive growth in the number of studies using visible light to promote organic reactions. In most cases, photosensitisers are involved in electron transfer processes, since electronically excited states are both better oxidants and better reductants.

In the present contribution, photosensitisers based on metal complexes[1, 2] as well as on organic chromophores[3] will be presented and details on the mechanisms of the photochemical steps will be provided.

References

[1] A. Gualandi, M. Marchini, L. Mengozzi, M. Natali, M. Lucarini, P. Ceroni, P. G. Cozzi, ACS Catal. 2015, 5, 5927

[2] H. Jung, M. Hong, M. Marchini, M. Villa, P. S. Steinlandt, X. Huang, M. Hemming, E. Meggers, P. Ceroni, J. Park, M.-H. Baik, Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 9673

[3] F. Calogero, S. Potenti, E. Bassan, A. Fermi, A. Gualandi, J. Monaldi, B. Dereli, B. Maity, L. Cavallo, P. Ceroni, P. G. Cozzi, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202114981