Reactor Technology Concepts for Flow Photochemistry

Abstract

Synthetic organic photochemistry has been intensively carried out in the 20th century and paved the way to the preparation of complex organic molecules, which were not yet accessible via thermal chemistry. Several photochemical synthesis routes have found their way into industrial applications for the production of everyday commodities, but photochemistry was still underutilized until recently as a synthesis method in organic chemistry. With the advent of novel photocatalytic and photophysical concepts for the use of high power visible light, the research field of synthetic organic photochemistry has evolved to become a vivid and highly recognized technique in the last years. Fortunately, continuous flow technology has also become an increasingly accepted tool and has proved to be an excellent key player for the advancement of photochemistry in academic and industrial research settings. This Review provides an overview on the recent developments of continuous flow photoreactors and their application to photochemical syntheses under mild and defined process conditions.

Continuous Flow Photochemistry for the Preparation of Bioactive Molecules

“…Therefore, chemists and chemical engineers have taken inspiration from flow reactor designs to address the aforementioned challenges regarding photochemical reactors. Consequently, several diverse and effective flow reactor designs have been reported over the last decade and applied to different photochemical transformations [21].…”

Harnessing Photoexcited Redox Centers of Semiconductor Photocatalysts for Advanced Synthetic Chemistry

“…Scientists are now making efforts to develop reliable heterogeneous photoredox flow chemistry for large‐scale production of fine chemicals. [ 106,119–121 ] The development of such heterogeneous photocatalytic continuous‐flow reactors is highly desired to ensure industrial‐scale production as well as efficient utilization of solar or light energies.…”

Corymbia citriodora: A Valuable Resource from Australian Flora for the Production of Fragrances, Repellents, and Bioactive Compounds

“…1 and Tab. 3) [77]. A recently described reactor involved employing an oxygen-permeable small diameter tubing inserted into a wider channel tubing (tube-in-tube) containing the reaction medium (solvent, sensitizer and reagent), which was able to produce a calculated 1752.3 mmol of hydroperoxides 28 and 29 per day [78] (Fig.…”