Solar Photochemistry in Flow

Abstract

In recent years, photochemistry has been a highly active research field. This renaissance is linked to the upsurge of photoredox catalysis, a versatile platform for synthetic methodologies using visible light photons as a traceless reagent. In contrast with UV, visible light constitutes almost half of the ground solar irradiance, making the use of solar light in chemistry a sustainable and viable possibility. However, the direct use of sunlight to power chemical reactions is still little explored. This can be explained by both the hurdles associated with solar radiation (e.g., its variability, irreproducibility, high IR content, etc.) and the need for a specialized photoreactor. Most of these issues can be tackled with technological solutions, and especially with the recourse to flow chemistry. Flow chemistry goes hand in hand with photochemistry thanks to the uniform irradiation it provides to the reaction. Furthermore, a continuous-flow reactor can be easily integrated with different solar collectors (including compound parabolic concentrators and luminescent solar concentrators) and constitutes the most efficient approach to solar photochemistry. After a description of the characteristics of the solar radiation relevant to chemistry, this chapter critically describes the different type of solar photoreactors and their applications in synthetic organic chemistry. Finally, an outlook on the future of solar photochemistry in flow is included.