Photocatalytic Atom Transfer Radical Addition to Olefins Utilizing Novel Photocatalysts

Photocatalysis is a rapidly evolving area of research in modern organic synthesis. Among the traditional photocatalysts, metal-complexes based on ruthenium or iridium are the most common. Herein, we present the synthesis of two photoactive, ruthenium-based complexes bearing pyridine-quinoline or terpyridine ligands with extended aromatic conjugation. Our complexes were utilized in the atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) of haloalkanes to olefins, using bromoacetonitrile or bromotrichloromethane as the source of the alkyl group. The tailor-made ruthenium-based catalyst bearing the pyridine-quinoline bidentate ligand proved to be the best-performing photocatalyst, among a range of metal complexes and organocatalysts, efficiently catalyzing both reactions. These photocatalytic atom transfer protocols can be expanded into a broad scope of olefins. In both protocols, the photocatalytic reactions led to products in good to excellent isolated yields.

Co-adsorbents: a key component in efficient and robust dye-sensitized solar cells

Since the establishment of dye-sensitized solar cells in the early '90s, both the efficiency and stability of these third generation photovoltaics have been greatly enhanced. Nevertheless, there still exist many unwanted processes that impede operation of dye-sensitized solar cells, encumbering the achievement of the maximum theoretical power conversion efficiency and decreasing the devices' long-term operation. These processes include charge recombination, dye aggregation, dye desorption, and high protonation degrees of the semiconductor's surface. This Minireview focuses on a powerful strategy developed to address these problems, namely the use of co-adsorbents. All types of co-adsorbents utilized thus far are categorized in terms of the chemical identity of their anchoring group; in addition their operational mechanisms are presented and the properties that a functional molecule should possess to be applied as an efficient co-adsorbent are discussed.