The sunny side of chemistry: green synthesis by solar light

Abstract

The storage of solar energy is one of the main challenges in the near future. A rather unexploited way to fulfil this goal is the solar light induced formation of new chemical bonds, i.e. the synthesis of chemicals. Solar photons can be considered the ideal green reagents since they are costless and leave no residue in the reaction mixture. In many cases the solar radiation could be successfully used in place of toxic or expensive chemical reagents to overcome the activation energy in organic synthesis. In this perspective, the emerging trends on the use of solar light for green synthesis are summarized, highlighting the advantages of this photochemical method.

Sunlight assisted synthesis of α-aminonitrile using Capillary flow microreactor: A new approach

“…Some of the advantages include; reproducibility, control of reaction parameters with precision, efficient energy and ease to scale-up reactions [11]. In this regard, the efficient conversion may be constrained due to uneven light penetration through the system [12].…”

The concept of photochemical enzyme models – State of the art

“…Light is a clean and highly selective reagent that can be readily controlled and dosed. Photochemical and photocatalytic key-steps are therefore more and more recognized as a powerful extension of conventional methods in organic synthesis [46][47][48][49][50][51][52]. This current trend of green and solar photochemistry will certainly be further strengthened in the next decades by the advent of continuous flow (micro)reactors as a new tool for more efficient photochemical synthesis [53][54][55], and by the gradual progress achieved in light-induced enantioselective catalysis, asymmetric photochemistry and photochirogenesis [56][57][58].…”

Green Photochemical Processes and Technologies for Research & Development, Scale‐up and Chemical Production

“…21 This concept leads back to the beginnings of organic photochemistry in the late 19 th century (and thus 'back to the roofs') where sunlight was the only available source of radiation. 22 In contrast to the early 'flask in the sun' approach, modern solar reactors are now available that enable technical applications on large scales.…”