Supramolecular Photocatalysis

We have shown that one can utilize water soluble nano-containers as supramolecular catalysts to perform selective photochemical reactions. The supramolecular photocatalytic process displays features similar to an enzyme – reaction is allosteric with very minimal product inhibition with good turnover. More importantly, encapsulation of the reactant molecule within the nano-cavity protects the excited state enhancing reactivity. The reaction can be carried out in water with visible light showcasing utility as a green chemical process. Some representative publications/reviews on this topic from our group is below

1. Ramamurthy, V.; and Sivaguru. J.* “Supramolecular Photochemistry as a Potential Synthetic Tool” Chem. Rev. 2016, 116, 9914−9993.
2. Vallavoju, N.; Sivaguru, J.* Supramolecular Photocatalysis: Combining confinement and non-covalent interactions to control light initiated reactions. Soc. Rev., 2014, 43, 4084-4101.
3. Pemberton, B. C.; Kumarasamy, E.; Jockusch, S.; Srivatsava, D. K.; Sivaguru, J.* Photophysical aspects of 6-methylcoumarin-Cucurbit[8]uril Host-guest Complexes. J. Chem., 2011,89, 310-316.
4. Pemberton, B. C.; Barooah, N.; Srivatsava, D. K.; Sivaguru, J.* Supramolecular photocatalysis by confinement—photodimerization of coumarins within cucurbit[8]urils Commun. 2010, 46, 225-227. (Hot paper in Chem. Commun./synfacts highlight).