Sur Aishanee, Powers David C
Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States.
ACS Cent Sci. 2025 May 19;11(6):834-842. doi: 10.1021/acscentsci.5c00549. eCollection 2025 Jun 25.
Expanding the boundaries of synthetic tractability of what molecules can be synthesized and isolated is an eternal challenge for synthetic chemists. The development of new synthetic methods and strategies enables the properties and potential functions of novel molecular targets to be experimentally evaluated. In the context of catalysis, predictable synthetic strategies are often available to access kinetically persistent intermediates such as catalyst resting states. In contrast, synthesis and characterization of the reactive intermediates are often not possible due to the fleeting lifetimes of these species. photochemistry combines single-crystal matrix isolation with cryogenic photochemistry to enable reactive intermediates to be synthesized under conditions in which they are persistent and can be (crystallographically) characterized. This Outlook highlights key achievements of photochemistry as well as discusses opportunities and challenges that confront realization of the potential of synthesis to redefine the boundaries of synthetic tractability.
拓展合成可处理性的边界——即能够合成和分离哪些分子——对合成化学家来说是一个永恒的挑战。新合成方法和策略的发展使得新型分子靶标的性质和潜在功能能够通过实验进行评估。在催化领域，通常可以采用可预测的合成策略来获取动力学稳定的中间体，如催化剂的静止状态。相比之下，由于这些反应中间体的寿命短暂，往往无法对其进行合成和表征。光化学将单晶基质隔离与低温光化学相结合，使反应中间体能够在其稳定且可（通过晶体学）表征的条件下合成。本展望突出了光化学的关键成就，并讨论了在实现合成潜力以重新定义合成可处理性边界方面所面临的机遇和挑战。
