Chiral metal complex for asymmetric photocatalysis

The use of light to accelerate chemical reactions or drive chemical transformations that are endergonic in the dark has been recognized since the early days of photochemistry.[1] Over the past decade, there has been a remarkable increase in studies utilizing visible light to promote organic reactions. Photocatalysts facilitate electron transfer processes, as electronically excited states serve as both stronger oxidants and reductants and might be involved in energy transfer processes. This contribution will present chiral metal complexes containing Ir(III)[2,3] or Co(III),[4] highlighting their applications in photoredox catalysis and artificial photosynthesis. The contribution will focus on the photochemical mechanism and the discussion of the experiments performed to shed light on it. A particular emphasis will be devoted to timeresolved emission and absorption spectroscopy as a tool for investigating the photochemical mechanism. References: [1] Photochemistry and Photophysics: Concepts, Research, Applications, V. Balzani, P. Ceroni, A. Juris, 2nd edition, Wiley-VCH, 2024, ISBN: 978-3-527-35276-0 [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] X. Huang, J. Lin, T. Shen, K. Harms, M. Marchini, P. Ceroni, E. Meggers, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 5454. [4] S.-Y. Yao, M. Villa, Y. Zheng, A. Fiorentino, B. Ventura, S. I. Ivlev, P. Ceroni, E. Meggers, manuscript submitted to Nat. Commun.