The current state of the art in inorganic photochemistry
already offers a large number of possibilities for the development
of such alternative approaches. Additional inspiration from natu-
ral systems collected in the novel field of bioinorganic photo-
chemistry will certainly lead to further valuable input in this
direction. Many other important aspects of biological systems
such as the development of self-repair mechanisms to assure a
prolonged catalyst lifetime or the control of the microenviron-
ment of active sites by second coordination sphere interactions
should also be considered to create robust, selective, and environ-
mentally benign photosensitizers and photocatalysts(3,5).
One of the most fascinating aspects of the photochemical
approaches in biomimetic chemistry presented in this review is
that abiotic reagents are able to accelerate the same overall
reactions as biocatalysts in a very promising way. This type of
chemistry might even allow to develop systems“realizing pro-
cesses that enzymes do not perform while displaying comparable
high efficiencies and selectivities”( 222 ). In the context of artifi-
cial photosynthesis and solar fuel production, scientists are now
collaborating to find out if they can “beat nature at her own
game” ( 223 ). Bioinorganic photochemistry has already set the
stage for this demanding goal, and we are looking forward to
the photochemistry of the future ( 224 ).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe Austrian Science Fund (FWF project P21045:“Bioinspired
Multielectron Transfer Photosensitizers” and ERA Chemistry
project I316: “Selective Photocatalytic Hydroxylation of Inert
Hydrocarbons”) is gratefully acknowledged. G. K. also thanks
the German Research Foundation (DFG Graduate College 640
“Sensory Photoreceptors in Natural and Artificial Systems”and
GRK1626 “Chemical Photocatalysis”) for partial support of
this work.
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282 GÜNTHER KNÖR AND UWE MONKOWIUS