inorganic chemistry

PHOTOSENSITIZATION AND PHOTOCATALYSIS IN

BIOINORGANIC, BIO-ORGANOMETALLIC AND

BIOMIMETIC SYSTEMS

GÜNTHER KNÖR^1 and UWE MONKOWIUS

Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University (JKU), Linz, Austria

I. Introduction 236
II. Inorganic Photochemistry Inspired by Nature 237
A. Light Absorption and Sensitization 239
B. Photochemical Reactivity 251
C. Selectivity and Regulation 256
III. Design Strategies and Building Blocks 260
A. Identifying Functional Analogies 261
B. Emerging Theoretical Frameworks 267
C. Photochemical Modeling of Key Steps 269
IV. Selected Applications 276
A. Toward Artificial Endonuclease Activity 276
B. Light-Driven Model Enzymes in Catalysis 278
V. Concluding Remarks 280
Acknowledgments 282
References 282

ABSTRACT

Inorganic photochemistry has experienced an enormous prog-
ress within the past decades. Many branches of current frontier
science including sustainable chemistry, solar fuel production,
or modern therapeutic strategies critically depend on light-
responsive metal complexes. More recently, the various aspects
of bioinorganic and bioorganometallic photochemistry have been
systematically explored. In the present review, an attempt is
made to provide some unifying concepts and rational design
guidelines for the development of novel biomimetic and
bioinspired systems controlled and driven by photons. Spectral

(^1) Corresponding author.
235
INORGANIC PHOTOCHEMISTRY #2011 Elsevier Inc.
VOLUME 63 ISSN 0898-8838 / DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-385904-4.00005-6 All rights reserved