Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry

Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry

The absorption of UV–visible light by conjugated systems causes the promotion of an electron from the ground state to the excited state. Consequently, photochemical electrocyclic reactions proceed via the excited-state HOMO rather than the ground-state HOMO. Since the ground- and excited-state HOMOs have different symmetries, the stereochemical outcome of electrocyclic reactions depends on the mode of activation; i.e., thermal or photochemical.
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation

The Photochemical Reaction Center

The Photochemical Reaction Center

Reaction centers are pigment-protein complexes that initiate energy conversion from photons to chemical entities. Therefore, photochemical reaction center is a more appropriate term that describes these complexes. The Nobel laureates Robert Emerson and William Arnold provided the first experimental evidence of photochemical reaction centers by demonstrating the participation of nearly 2,500 chlorophyll molecules for the release of just one molecule of oxygen. Despite thousands of photosynthetic...

Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Photochemical Activation

Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Photochemical Activation

Some cycloaddition reactions are activated by heat, while others are initiated by light. For example, a [2 + 2] cycloaddition between two ethylene molecules occurs only in the presence of light. It is photochemically allowed but thermally forbidden.

The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis

The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis

The light reactions of photosynthesis assume a linear flow of electrons from water to NADP+. During this process, light energy drives the splitting of water molecules to produce oxygen. However, oxidation of water molecules is a thermodynamically unfavorable reaction and requires a strong oxidizing agent. This is accomplished by the first product of light reactions: oxidized P680 (or P680+), the most powerful oxidizing agent known in biology. The oxidized P680 that acquires an electron from the...

Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview

Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview

Electrocyclic reactions are reversible reactions. They involve an intramolecular cyclization or ring-opening of a conjugated polyene. Shown below are two examples of electrocyclic reactions. In the first reaction, the formation of the cyclic product is favored. In contrast, in the second reaction, ring-opening is favored due to the high ring strain associated with cyclobutene formation.

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

Oxidation–Reduction Reactions

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Supramolecular purification of mono-adamantane mixtures <i>via</i> stabilized three-shell Matryoshka assemblies.

Chemical science·2026

Same author

Gold(III) Semiquinone Complexes: Synthesis, Structure, and Application in Photocatalysis.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Same author

A pH-Responsive Cu-Corrole-Based Cage That Reversibly Encapsulates Fullerene in a Shapeshifting Low-Symmetry Cavity.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Impact of <i>N-</i>Terminal Histidine Methylation on Histidine-Brace Copper(II) Peptide Models of LPMOs.

Inorganic chemistry·2026

Same author

Supramolecular Control of Fullerene Recognition and Reactivity through Nanocapsule Confinement.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same author

Decoding the Role of Isolated Ga<sup>+</sup> in PdGa@MFI Catalyst Promoting a Direct CO<sub>2</sub> Hydrogenation Path to DME.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2025

[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst

[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst

Published on: May 21, 2019

Light-Induced Reactivity Switch at O₂-Activating Bioinspired Copper(I) Complexes.

Donglin Diao¹, Anna Baidiuk¹, Leo Chaussy¹

¹Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France.

|May 31, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a light-induced reactivity switch for copper-oxygen intermediates using bioinspired complexes. This breakthrough enables selective C-H functionalization, offering new pathways in copper-oxygen chemistry.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Polyoxometalate-based Photo-responsive Membranes for the Photo-activation of Manganese Oxide Catalysts

Preparation of Polyoxometalate-based Photo-responsive Membranes for the Photo-activation of Manganese Oxide Catalysts

Published on: August 7, 2018

Protein Film Infrared Electrochemistry Demonstrated for Study of H2 Oxidation by a [NiFe] Hydrogenase

Protein Film Infrared Electrochemistry Demonstrated for Study of H2 Oxidation by a [NiFe] Hydrogenase

Published on: December 4, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2025

[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst

[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst

Published on: May 21, 2019

Preparation of Polyoxometalate-based Photo-responsive Membranes for the Photo-activation of Manganese Oxide Catalysts

Preparation of Polyoxometalate-based Photo-responsive Membranes for the Photo-activation of Manganese Oxide Catalysts

Published on: August 7, 2018

Protein Film Infrared Electrochemistry Demonstrated for Study of H2 Oxidation by a [NiFe] Hydrogenase

Protein Film Infrared Electrochemistry Demonstrated for Study of H2 Oxidation by a [NiFe] Hydrogenase

Published on: December 4, 2017

Area of Science:

Bioinorganic Chemistry
Photochemistry
Organometallic Chemistry

Background:

Earth-abundant metal-oxygen intermediates possess high oxidation states, making their light-induced reactivity challenging to explore.
The photoinduced reactivity of copper-dioxygen (Cu-O₂) intermediates is largely unexplored due to O₂ photoejection under irradiation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the light-induced reactivity switch of bioinspired O₂-activating copper(I) complexes.
To demonstrate a novel method for selective C-H functionalization using photochemistry in Cu-O₂ chemistry.

Main Methods:

Utilized bioinspired copper(I) complexes with tris(2-pyridyl-methyl)amine (TPA) ligands.
Investigated both open and caged copper(I) complexes with internal aryl ether substrates.
Employed photochemical irradiation and reactivity studies, supported by (TD-) DFT calculations.

Main Results:

Achieved a light-induced reactivity switch in Cu-O₂ chemistry, a key precedent.
Demonstrated selective conversion of internal aryl ether to a phenolate-CH₂- moiety with excellent yields under light.
Observed standard oxidative cleavage in the absence of light, contrasting with the photoinduced reaction.

Conclusions:

The study establishes a precedent for light-induced reactivity switching in Cu-O₂ chemistry.
The developed method allows for selective C-H functionalization and easy postfunctionalization of TPA ligands.
A mechanism involving monomeric cupric-superoxide dependent reactivity, promoted by light, is proposed.