Rob Knowles (Princeton)

Title: "Organic synthesis away from equilibrium" 

Inspired by biological photosynthesis and advances in solar fuels chemistry, our lab has become interested in light-driven strategies for organic synthesis wherein excited-state redox events facilitate transformations that are otherwise thermodynamically unfavorable. These electron transfer-based schemes provide a general mechanism for driving reactions in opposition to a thermodynamic gradient by selectively channeling the energy generated from photon-absorption events. Moreover, as these reactions occur across multiple free energy surfaces, they are able to circumvent the constraints of microscopic reversibility that govern thermal processes and enable unique forms of selectivity.  Several representative projects will be discussed.