Research opportunities photochemistry

Laser-induced fluorescence has proven to be the key to these pioneering studies of transuranic hexafluoride electronic state photophysics and photochemistry. This is a research area of unique opportunity in which fundamental and technical research interests strongly converge. 

In comparison with the photochemistry of organosilicon compounds, the photochemistry of organometallic compounds of the heavier Group 14 elements has received little attention. In recent years, however, a number of synthetically useful photoreactions of such species have been developed, and it would seem opportune to review this area of research. In particular, organogermanium and organotin reagents are becoming... 

Until recently organic photochemistry has only partially focused on stereoselective synthesis, one of the major challenges and research areas in modern organic synthesis. This situation has dramatically changed in the last decade and highly chemo-, regio-, diastereo- as well as enantioselective reactions have been developed. Chemists all over the world became aware of the fascinating synthetic opportunities of electronically excited molecules and definitely this will lead to a new period of prosperity. Photochemical reactions can be performed at low temperatures, in the solid or liquid state or under gas-phase conditions, with spin-selective direct excitation or sensitization, and even multi-photon processes start to enter the synthetic scenery. 

J3, 4). Low-lying electronic excited states of metal-metal bonded complexes often involve significant changes in the electron density associated with the metal-metal bond, compared to the ground electronic state. Accordingly, study of the photochemistry of metal-metal bonded complexes not only provides potential new reaction chemistry but also provides insight into, and confirmation of, the electronic structure. This symposium volume affords us an opportunity to record the state of the field of metal-metal bond photochemistry. The aim of this article is to summarize recent research results from this laboratory and to place them in perspective in relation to results from other laboratories. 

Gas-phase photoprocesses is an area that has developed enormously since the appearance of the first volume of Photochemistry in 1970. This growth is reflected in almost every subsequent volume, as the reporters have had to accommodate an expanding literature covering many apparently diverse aspects of gas-phase chemistry, I am taking this opportunity to experiment with the style and presentation of this Chapter, making use of tabulated information as a source for the interested research worker and reserving the text for a slightly fuller description of new material. Emphasis has also been directed more toward processes than individual species. 

Within synthesis, one of the key issues of modem synthetic methods is asymmetric synthesis. Asymmetric photochemistry, or more precisely photochirogenesis, a term proposed by Inoue for stressing the fact that chirality is generated in the photochemical step, has an enormous role to play in various aspects, although intensive research in the last decades has evidenced more the hmitatimis than the opportunities inherent in the method. However, recent work seems to suggest that the heavy delay with respect to thermal chemistry in this field may be reduced. 

While HABI chemistry is only a small portion of the field called photochemistry, it illustrates how product development proceeds form invention to production, to marketing and sales. It is also an illustration of how basic research done by scientists at the DuPont Company resulted in entirely new business opportunities. 

---