Catalyst-Free Organic Transformations under Visible-Light

Pollutants from industry and chemical laboratories have harmful effects on human health and the environment. Concerns about this problem have led to the development of more versatile and sustainable protocols based on the principles of green chemistry. One of these innovative approaches is to carry out the reactions under visible-light sources without photocatalysts. This benign, simple, and cost-effective method, inspired by nature, could be a suitable alternative to some classical methods, and change the harsh reaction conditions into milder ones. In this Perspective, we outlined the results of catalyst-free organic reactions under visible-light to further encourage researchers in this promising field. The proposed mechanisms based on the generation of an electron donor-acceptor complex (EDA) and a single-electron transfer (SET) pathway were discussed.

Automated summary

Pollutants from industry and chemical laboratories have harmful effects on human health and the environment, leading to the development of more versatile and sustainable protocols based on green chemistry principles. One innovative approach is to carry out reactions under visible-light sources without photocatalysts, offering a benign, simple, and cost-effective alternative that could change harsh reaction conditions into milder ones. Mechanisms based on the generation of an electron donor-acceptor complex and a single-electron transfer pathway were discussed to further encourage researchers in this promising field.