Fundamentals of Photoredox Cataysis

Photoredox catalysis is a powerful synthetic technique which uses light to drive chemical reactions. A new class of photoredox catalysts has recently been introduced in which an electron transfer catalyst is electrochemically reduced to a radical anion, and subsequently photoexcited. Electron transfer from the catalyst to the substrate then proceeds through excited state electron transfer. However, the nature of the excited states of organic radical anions is not well understood, and thus leaves an incomplete picture of the excited state electron transfer process. We will use electron photodetachment spectroscopy to probe the nature of these excited states and shed light on the excited state electron transfer process. Our results will assist organic chemists in designing more potent and more selective photoredox catalysts, and enable safer and more facile chemical synthesis.