Photochemistry and excited-state reactivity of organocatalytic intermediates

Recent studies have established that light excitation of chiral organocatalytic intermediates can switch on new catalytic functions, which can be used for making chiral molecules otherwise unattainable with traditional ground-state reactivity. Herein we discuss how the photochemistry of organocatalytic intermediates can create new synthetic opportunities, expanding the functions of organocatalysis to include radical chemistry and excited-state reactivity.