Photoredox catalysis for environmental and chemical applications. A mechanistically-based approach

Resumen

In the last decades, photoinduced-redox processes mediated through visible light have obtained great attention due to the generally mild operating conditions that they offer. As a result, they constitute a further alternative within the so-called Advanced Oxidation processes. Besides, they are becoming an outstanding methodology in organic synthesis, which has opened the door to new synthetic and chemical routes. However, despite the growth of the field, little attention has been paid to the mechanisms pathways behind these processes. The main objective of this thesis was to gain deeper understanding of different photoredox processes carried out using organic photocatalysts. More specifically, the viability of several organic photocatalysts was studied, and besides, a careful mechanistic study based on time resolved techniques supported the postulated mechanisms. With this information, a methodology determining the key points to consider in a photoredox system were stablished. Firstly, in Part I, two photocatalysts based on pyrilium and thiapyrilium salts, which operate through an oxidative electron transfer, have been used with different objectives. In Chapter 3, the viability of the photodegradation of two common pollutants from cork industry and the mechanism behind it has been evaluated. In Chapter 4, the direct detection of all the TPP+ derived short-lived intermediates in the photocatalyzed oxidation of a mixture of pollutants using TPP+ was proposed as a methodology to assess the photodegradation extent. In the last chapter of Part I, Chapter 5, TPTP+ is used to stablish the best characteristics of a photocatalyst. Besides, the study claimed the influence of the concentration of the target substances in the efficiency of the excited states or, in general, of the key short-lived intermediates. Secondly, in Part II, in Chapter 6, Rose Bengal, a typical photocatalyst used in wastewater remediation, known for working via Type II mechanism, was evaluated for the removal of two common drugs. In addition, a second one, Perinaphtenone, which exhibits even a higher singlet oxygen quantum yield than Rose Bengal was tested. In Chapter 7, NMQ+, a non-typical photocatalyst able of generate singlet oxygen from its singlet excited state, was used in the photooxidation of three different pollutants. In every case, the major contribution of Type I vs Type II mechanism was demonstrated. Finally, in Part III, Chapter 8 was devoted to the photocatalytic reduction of organic bromides. In this case, Riboflavine, a non-metallic organic dye, was used as a photocatalyst. Analogously, careful attention was paid to the behavoiur of the intermediates, which were in agreement, as well as to the thermodynamics of the steps involved in the photocatalytic cycle.