Photochemistry

In contrast to thermal activation of chemical reactions, i.e. by heating, photochemical activation is a highly selective process.

In our group, we use two different setups to synthesise valuable building blocks and to activate our transition-metal complexes. The first one utilizes a medium pressure mercury lamp, which emits a spectrum between 200 and 600 nm. The second setup uses monochromatic LED lamps in the range of 365 nm to 475 nm. Our photochemical experiments are guided by using a benchtop UV-vis spectrometer which allows us for choosing a suitable wavelength for irradiation and also for reaction monitoring.

Below, our photochemistry setups (left to right: mercury medium pressure lamp, monochromatic LED set up, benchtop UV-Vis spectrometer) are shown.