Fun with photons: selective light induced reactions in solution and in water soluble nano-containers

Two distinct strategies for controlling selectivity, in particular stereoselectivity in photochemical reactions are reviewed. In the first strategy, supramolecular approach using cucurbituril nano-containers in catalytic amounts is employed to control selectivity during photochemical transformations. In the second approach, a generalized methodology for carrying out light-induced transformations in solution at ambient conditions is detailed where axially chiral motifs are employed to enantiospecifically transfer the axial chirality in the reactant to point chirality in the photoproduct(s).