A tan for molecules: photocatalyzed synthesis with direct sunlight

Photocatalytic processes applied to organic synthesis have known an impressive development over the last decade. The reactions are now routinely carried out upon irradiation with artificial light sources. However, several research groups have profited of direct sunlight to trigger such processes, in turn boosting the sustainability character of the devised synthetic protocols. This contribution gathers recent examples in the area, showcasing the possibility to fully exploit the different wavelength ranges of solar light, with particular regards to both ultraviolet and visible regions. On the other hand, near-infrared light, the main component of solar light, has not been exploited so far, albeit a handful of examples exploiting artificial near-infrared irradiation have been recently reported and development in this direction is expected soon.