Conventional industrial routes for the manufacture of everyday organic compounds typically require operating conditions with high-energy consumption that do not carefully consider the environmental impact of employed reagents, catalysts, generated by-products, and waste. Recently, more stringent environmental and energy consumption policies have increased interest in alternative “green” synthesis routes and processing methods that can be operated under mild conditions and avoid the use of hazardous agents. Photo(electro)catalytic systems, including photocatalytic organic synthesis, promise sustainable methods that overcome most of the energy and environmental issues associated with conventional methods. Photocatalytic systems also match the needs of green engineering, achieving fewer processing steps through multiple-catalyst (“one-pot”) reactions. Another important area of research in photocatalytic organic synthesis is the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂, both for CO₂ capture and for its potential to produce an array of useful organic chemicals.

The utilization of sunlight as an abundant and renewable resource has motivated the development of sustainable photocatalysts that can collectively harvest light and effectively utilize its energy to drive chemical reactions. One key to achieve effective systems is the discovery and development of efficient and stable photo(electro)catalytic materials. Moreover, photocatalytic synthesis methods are not only considered as alternative synthesis routes for well-known chemicals, but also have the potential to create new compounds that are difficult to produce through conventional synthetic methods. Understanding the mechanisms and kinetics of such photocatalytic reactions as well as reactor design for solar-to-chemical production are also important for developing new synthetic systems that improve the quality of our modern lives.

This Research Topic aims to highlight up-to-date knowledge in the field of Light Energy Storage in Organic Chemical Molecules by bringing together the most successful international efforts in this field. This includes, but is not limited to, scientific articles as well as mini reviews in:

• photocatalytic organic synthesis
• photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into organic compounds
• hydrogen production coupled with organic transformation

This Research Topic aims to end with a pinnacle insight into future perspectives regarding realistic applications of photocatalysts to produce essential organic chemicals.

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Frontiers in Chemistry

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