"Photocatalysis with Visible Light"

Presented by Tehshik Yoon, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Light can be considered a clean, renewable, and inexpensive "reagent" for chemical synthesis.  Nevertheless, most conventional methods for the photochemical synthesis of organic compounds requires the use of specialized photochemical equipment that is capable of generating high energy ultraviolet light and containing it safely.  This is a practical impediment that has prevented the wide adoption of photochemical synthesis in the fine chemicals industry.  We have developed a strategy that exploits the reactivity of transition metal photocatalysts in order to perform a variety of synthetically useful cycloaddition reactions using visible wavelengths of light.  By enabling the use of direct sunlight rather than high energy artificial UV light, we hope to establish a new, environmentally responsible approach to synthetic organic photochemistry.

Hosted by Prof. Tristan Lambert

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Meet the speaker at 1:30 in room 328 Havemeyer
Tea & cookies at 4:00 in room 328 Havemeyer
Seminar at 4:30 in room 209 Havemeyer