Photosensitization and photocatalysis refer to processes by which permanent chemical transformations are induced on substrates (organic/inorganic) by radiation to which the substrates themselves are transparent. Such transformations can be highly specific, very efficient, and occur under mild conditions. Herein lies the power of photochemical methods for possible applications in the field of conversion and storage of solar energy. This book provides a recent survey of the progress in this important area in catalysis, with an emphasis on inorganic complexes and organometallic compounds as the key light aborbers. The book is organized in three parts: fundamentals, followed by applications. Discussions cover a wide variety of photosensitized or photocatalyzed reactions: decomposition of water, reduction of CO2 and CO; spectral sensitization in photoelectrochemical cells; transformations (oxidation, reduction, isomerization, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, carbonylation, etc.) of organics such as alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, etc. In view of the variety of systems (sensitizers, substrates) and the topics covered, the volume is unique in the field of photochemistry and will appeal to academic and industrial researchers in various subdisciplines of chemistry, material science and catalysis.

Inhalt
Evolution of Inorganic and Organometallic Photochemistry. Historical Perspectives and Commentary.- Intermolecular Energy and Electron Transfer Processes.- Photocatalysis: Definitions and Classifications.- Charge Transfer Excitation of Coordination Compounds. Generation of Reactive Intermediates.- Photoredox and Sensitization Processes involving Transition Metal Polypyridine Complexes.- Intramolecular Energy and Electron Transfer in Polynuclear Metal Complexes.- Photocatalysis: Reduction of CO2 and Water-Gas-Shift Reaction Photocatalyzed by 2,2'-bipyridine or 1,10-phenanthroline Cr(II), Ru(II), Re(I) and Ir(III) complexes.- Metal Complexes as Photosensitizers in Photoelectrochemical Cells.- Photosensitization by (Metallo)porphyrins: Formation and Photophysical Properties of Porphyrin Assemblies.- Photocatalytic and Photoredox Properties of Polyoxometalate Systems.- Photocatalytic Transformations of Organic Substrates Using Inorganic Salts and Complexes.- Photocatalysis Involving Metal Carbonyls.- Photocatalysis in C-H Activation.- Electron Donor-Acceptor Interactions and Photo-induced Electron Transfer of Organometallic Compounds.