Solar–Chemical Energy Conversion by Photocatalysis

Abstract

With the late but fast development, photocatalytic selective organic transformation has been recognized to be a promising alternative to traditional organic synthesis because it features unique advantages of being able to employ mild reaction conditions and avoid environmentally detrimental heavy metal catalysts as well as strong chemical oxidants or reducing agents. Moreover, it can facilitate the design of short and efficient reaction sequences, minimizing side processes and leading to high selectivity. This chapter provides an overview of the basic principles and evaluation methods of photocatalytic selective organic transformations. Recent progress on photocatalytic selective oxidation, reduction, and coupling reactions is represented based on selected examples. Besides, the future research challenges are concisely discussed.