Photocatalytic Oxidation of Alcohols with Organic Dyes: From Homogeneous Systems to Sensitized Materials

The oxidation of alcohols retains an enormous importance in industry and in synthetic organic chemistry. The renaissance in photocatalysis is offering new routes to conduct this class of transformations under benign and sustainable conditions. In this concept article, we highlight the efforts that have been conducted in light-driven oxidation of alcohols using organic photocatalysts (PC). After an overview of relevant industrial processes, we will discuss relevant examples of PC employed in solution or when integrated in photosynthetic schemes within semiconductor slides or nanoparticles. The combination of the photochemical systems with electrochemical routes or their engineering in flow will be considered. Where possible, we highlight also mechanistic aspects that reveal the key steps involved and contribute to improve the performance of the process. We finally present an outlook on the future perspectives and developments in the field.