Direct photocatalyzed
hydrogen atom transfer (d-HAT) can be considered
a method of choice for the elaboration of
aliphatic C–H bonds. In this manifold, a photocatalyst (PCHAT) exploits the energy of a photon to trigger the homolytic
cleavage of such bonds in organic compounds. Selective C–H
bond elaboration may be achieved by a judicious choice of the hydrogen
abstractor (key parameters are the electronic character and the molecular
structure), as well as reaction additives. Different are the classes
of PCsHAT available, including aromatic ketones, xanthene
dyes (Eosin Y), polyoxometalates, uranyl salts, a metal-oxo porphyrin
and a tris(amino)cyclopropenium radical dication. The processes (mainly
C–C bond formation) are in most cases carried out under mild
conditions with the help of visible light. The aim of this review
is to offer a comprehensive survey of the synthetic applications of
photocatalyzed d-HAT.