Photocatalysis is a type of catalysis that results in the alteration of the rate of a photoreaction – a chemical reaction that involves the absorption of light by one or more reacting species – by adding catalysts that participate in the chemical reaction without being consumed. This is a rapidly expanding market in research and Strem Chemicals UK can offer a comprehensive array of products to support this exciting field of chemistry
Over the last decade, the field of visible-light photoredox catalysis has seen tremendous growth due to the ongoing interest in the activation of organic substrates. Reactive intermediates generated from single-electron transfer or energy transfer have enabled new reaction pathways leading to previously inaccessible organic transformations.1,2
Metal polypyridyl complexes comprise the most prominent examples of photoredox catalysts. The table below shows examples representing three distinct classes of compounds: dicationic homoleptic ruthenium complexes with aromatic N-donor ligands (44-7930) CAS Number: 83605-44-1
Neutral tris phenylpyridine iridium complexes (77-7015) CAS Number: 94928-86-6 and heteroleptic cationic iridium complexes carrying two phenylpyridine ligands and one aromatic N-donor ligand (77-0410). CAS Number: 676525-77-2
Modification of the backbone structure of these ligands allows for the fine-tuning of the catalyst’s photochemical properties, providing control over oxidizing/reducing potentials, absorption properties, and excited state lifetimes.
These transition-metal polypyridyl complexes have proven to be an invaluable tool in synthetic organic chemistry, opening up new reaction pathways and allowing reactions to occur under relatively mild conditions.
Strem now offers the following products:
• More than 20 homoleptic Ruthenium, homoleptic Iridium, and heteroleptic Iridium polypyridyl photocatalysts
• Dimeric Iridium complexes as starting materials for Iridium photocatalysts
• Bipyridine, phenanthroline and phenylpyridine-based ligands for the construction of tailor-made catalysts
• Kits containing a variety of photocatalysts
• Reactor assemblies and hardware for the development photocatalytic reactions (sold in collaboration with HepatoChem)
• HepatoChem Kits (preweighed photocatalysts, bases, etc. for screening purposes)
References:
1. Nature Rev Chem 2017, 1, 0052.
2. The Strem Chemiker, Vol. 30, No. 2
Additional Product Resources:
All Photocatalyst Products Offered by Strem
EvoluChem™ PhotoRedOx Products
Photocatalyst Booklet
Contact Mary Kedward
Marketing Manager
Strem Chemicals UK Ltd
