Light-Triggered Click Chemistry

The merging of click chemistry with discrete photochemical processes has led to the creation of a new class of click reactions, collectively known as photoclick chemistry. These light-triggered click reactions allow the synthesis of diverse organic structures in a rapid and precise manner under mild conditions. Because light offers unparalleled spatiotemporal control over the generation of the reactive intermediates, photoclick chemistry has become an indispensable tool for a wide range of spatially addressable applications including surface functionalization, polymer conjugation and cross-linking, and biomolecular labeling in the native cellular environment. Over the past decade, a growing number of photoclick reactions have been developed, especially those based on the 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions and Diels-Alder reactions owing to their excellent reaction kinetics, selectivity, and biocompatibility. This review summarizes the recent advances in the development of photoclick reactions and their applications in chemical biology and materials science. A particular emphasis is placed on the historical contexts and mechanistic insights into each of the selected reactions. The in-depth discussion presented here should stimulate further development of the field, including the design of new photoactivation modalities, the continuous expansion of lambda-orthogonal tandem photoclick chemistry, and the innovative use of these unique tools in bioconjugation and nanomaterial synthesis.

Automated summary

The merger of click chemistry with discrete photochemical processes has given rise to a new class of reactions known as photoclick chemistry, allowing for rapid and precise synthesis of organic structures under mild conditions. Photoclick chemistry provides unparalleled control over reactive intermediate generation, making it indispensable in spatially addressable applications such as biomolecular labeling and polymer conjugation. Particularly popular are photoclick reactions based on 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions and Diels-Alder reactions due to their excellent reaction kinetics, selectivity, and biocompatibility.