# Visible Light Photocatalysis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2021 · $37,569

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Photochemical synthesis represents an exciting frontier for drug discovery and for biomedical research. The
ability of small, structurally complex organic molecules to interact with biomolecules and perturb their
behavior is at the heart of modern molecular medicine and chemical biology. The discovery of new drugs
and biological probes with new properties, therefore, relies critically upon the synthesis of new molecules
with unprecedented structures. Photochemistry has long been an underdeveloped technique in chemical
synthesis, in part because the irradiation of organic molecules with light results in the generation of highly
reactive, high-energy species that can react indiscriminately and unproductively.
We are investigating the ways in which addition of various reagents to photochemical reactions can control
these photogenerated intermediates in diverse ways. In this proposal, we describe two Specific Aims to
study how these reagents can result in powerful new bond forming methods.
Aim 1. We are exploring the ability of chiral catalysts to control the stereochemistry of photochemical
reactions.
Aim 2. We are exploring the ability of copper oxidants to enable the installation of functional groups onto
simple unfunctionalized organic scaffolds.
These methods enable chemical transformations that cannot otherwise be accomplished using
conventional, non-photochemical technologies. Thus, we expect that the results of our research will have
significant impacts both in fundamental academic chemical research and on the ability of biomedical
scientists to synthesize and discover the next generation of life-saving drugs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10380452
- **Project number:** 3R01GM095666-11S2
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** TEHSHIK P YOON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $37,569
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-12-01 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10380452

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10380452, Visible Light Photocatalysis (3R01GM095666-11S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10380452. Licensed CC0.

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