Visible-Light Photocatalysis: Does it make a difference in Organic Synthesis?

Visible light photocatalysis has evolved over the last decade into a widely used method in organic synthesis. For many important transformations, such as cross-coupling reactions, alpha-amino functionalizations, cycloadditions, ATRA reactions, or fluorinations, photocatalytic variants have been reported. In this review, we try to compare classical and photocatalytic procedures for selected classes of reactions and highlight their advantages and limitations. In many cases, the photocatalytic reactions proceed at milder reaction conditions, typically at room temperature, and stoichiometric reagents are replaced by simple oxidants or reductants, like air oxygen or amines. This way, besides providing alternative protocols for established transformations that allow a broadening of the substrate scope, also new transformations become possible, especially by merging photocatalysis with organo- or metal catalysis. Does visible light photocatalysis make a difference in organic synthesis? The prospect to shuttle electrons back and forth to substrates and intermediates or to selectively transfer energy through a visible light absorbing photocatalyst holds the promise to improve current protocols in radical chemistry and to open up new avenues by accessing reactive species hitherto unknown