Photolysis hydrogenation enhancement

Photolysis Abiotic oxidation occurring in surface water is often light mediated. Both direct oxidative photolysis and indirect light-induced oxidation via a photolytic mechanism may introduce reactive species able to enhance the redox process in the system. These species include singlet molecular O, hydroxyl-free radicals, super oxide radical anions, and hydrogen peroxide. In addition to the photolytic pathway, induced oxidation may include direct oxidation by ozone (Spencer et al. 1980) autooxidation enhanced by metals (Stone and Morgan 1987) and peroxides (Mill et al. 1980). 

Ultraviolet light without hydrogen peroxide is not very effective for the degradation of organics. When UV light and H202 are combined, the overall oxidative reaction potential is greatly enhanced even under ambient temperature and pressure. The efficiency of direct photolysis depends on (1) UV absorbance by substrates (2) quantum yield of photolysis (3) presence of other competitive UV absorbents and (4) intensity of UV sources. 

The current R D portfolio does not allow for out of the box thinking. It needs to encourage exploratory basic research involving other approaches, such as methods of enhancing hydrogen production by radiolysis or photolysis in properly designed radiation sources. 

Photolysis of [Rh(tfacac)3] (tfacac is the unsymmetrically substituted 1,1,1-trifluoromethyl-acac) reveals the existence of two photoinduced reaction paths the relative efficiency of the two paths is dramatically solvent dependent.1140 In cyclohexane, mer- cis isomerization is the only observed photoreaction, but if ethanol or 2-propanol is added to the solvent, the photoisomerization efficiency decreases, and photodecomposition occurs. The nature of the photodecomposition products is not specified, but the enhanced photoreactivity in the presence of tri(n-butyl)stannane, a hydrogen atom donor, and flash and continuous photolysis studies in mixed-solvent systems strongly implicate hydrogen atom abstraction from the solvent as a key step in the photodecomposition of wer-[Rh(tfacac)3] and suggests that the photo reactive states have considerable radical character .1140 Analysis of quantum efficiencies implies that at least two distinct photoproduced excited states must be involved. 

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