Our 25 favorite photochemistry papers from 2025
Happy New Year from all of us at HepatoChem. Before we move forward into another great year, let’s take a look back at the past year in photochemistry. 2025 gave us a ton of interesting photochemistry papers, new products, fun ideas and expanded the areas where photochemistry is making an impact. It’s cliché to say, but in 2025 it seems there was more photochemistry in the literature than ever before, and this list of our favorite papers gets more difficult to make every year.
At HepatoChem, we hit a few major milestones and achievements in 2025. Our PhotoRedox products were again cited more than 100 times last year, bringing our total historically over to 500 examples. Unofficially, the 500th mention was perhaps our favorite photochemistry paper to date but of course we’re a bit biased. We are very excited to finally be able to discuss the publication of our own work from a collaboration with Professor Mark Mascal and his team at UC Davis. We’ll discuss this JACS paper in the list below, but it has everything in it, including some exciting Lucent360 experiments, new UV LEDs, a ton of amino acid-based substrates turned into heterocycles and some non-hallucinogenic medically active compounds with the term head-twitch response. You can expect to hear more about this work from us in the weeks and months to come.
This year, we also launched the PhotoRedox Box UV/vis, a new photoreactor designed to take advantage of our new dimmable LED options (254 nm to 340 nm) while also allowing visible chemistry up to 850 and 1000 nm (yeah, we have LEDs all the way up to 1000 nm now, but still don’t understand what you oddballs are doing with them). And in 2026, get ready for what might be our favorite new product yet. Coming soon, a new photoreactor that we think just about everyone who reads this email will be able to find a use for. An all-in-one flexible photoreactor for plates, vials, cells culture flasks, petri dishes and more to be placed directly in your incubator, 4°C fridge, bench or hood.
And now on to our favorite papers of the past year. We started this little exercise back in 2020 in the depths of COVID and luckily for us now, everything in the current news is much brighter now. Um, moving on. Our previous lists can be found here:
20 papers from 2020
21 papers from 2021
22 papers from 2022
23 papers from 2023
24 papers from 2024
To borrow from our previous lists, we begin with this disclaimer here , but this is not an attempt to rank the best 25 papers of the year. What papers are included? Just our favorite, or funniest, or most unexpected or thought-provoking papers that we read last year. A few cite the PhotoRedox Box, TC or Lucent360 products, while others are just our favorite things that we read last year. As always, our lists skews towards papers using photocatalysis for synthesis and if your paper is open access, well that’s a bonus. If your favorite paper isn’t listed then perhaps, we haven’t read it yet or didn’t like it or simply ran out of space in the list. But we’d like to hear from you so send any comments to info@hepatochem.com or our new Bluesky account at @evoluchem.bsky.social.
Now on to the list:
Paper 1: Transforming Amino Acids into Serotonin 5‑HT2A Receptor Ligands Using Photochemistry
Authors: Joseph O. S. Beckett, Ryan Buzdygon, Steven Nguyen, Allison A. Clark, Serena S. Schalk, Lena E. H. Svanholm, Trey J. Brasher, Marc Bazin, Bruna Cuccurazzu, Adam L. Halberstadt, John D. McCorvy,* and Mark Mascal*
Ref: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025 ASAP
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c19817
Comment: First, it would be disingenuous for us to claim that we enjoyed any paper from 2025 more than this work that we were grateful to contribute. We want to thank Professor Mascal for the opportunity to contribute to the project and specifically point out the hard work of lead author Joseph Beckett. The Lucent360 was perfectly suited to speed up the key ring-closing reaction methodology with multi-reaction screening of wavelength for various UV LEDs, light intensity, solvents, acid additives and a library of compounds. The Lucent360 compared extremely favorably to a different commercial photoreactor that you may have heard of, cutting most reaction times from 24-48 hours down to 4 hours speeding up development. From there, the hard work of Mascal and team continued with scale up and conversion to new serotonin 5-HT2A agonists, bioanalytical work, animal testing to demonstrate the non-hallucinogenic activity of the new compounds. We look forward to seeing what’s next from this work.
Paper 2: In Crystallo Photochemistry: Reimagining Synthetic Tractability with Transparent Single-Crystalline Flasks.
Authors: Aishanee Sur and David C. Powers*
Ref: ACS Cent. Sci. 2025, 11, 6, 834–842
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.5c00549.
Comment: Our favorite paper this year is this work by the Powers Lab at Texas A&M. How does it rise above the rest? Simply by being an incredibly interesting idea that we knew nothing about before reading it. In crystallo photochemistry is definitely a new one for us. For anyone looking for an introduction into a world that seems impossible, this outlook is a great place to start. We can’t say anything any better than the authors for describing their mission:
“In crystallo photochemistry combines cryogenic synthetic photochemistry with solid-state molecular synthesis to enable the synthesis and characterization of reactive intermediates and other exotic molecular structures.”
We may have a half-started blog post on this paper sitting around somewhere but we could never quite do the paper justice besides just stating – “read the whole thing” So read the whole and get to the end for some “Photochemical Movies”
Paper 3: Microenvironments as an Explanation for the Mismatch between Photochemical Absorptivity and Reactivity.
Authors: Joshua A. Carroll, Fred Pashley-Johnson, Maciej Klein, Theresa Stephan, Ajay K. Pandey, Michael Walter, Andreas-Neil Unterreiner, and Christopher Barner-Kowollik*
Ref: J. Am. Chem. Soc 2025, 147, 26643–26651.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c06961.
Comment: A fascinating work by Professor Barner-Kowollik questioning all the things we think happen when a molecule absorbs a photon of light.
Paper 4: Illuminating the Role of Alcohol Substrate in Nickel Photoredox Catalysis via Ground State and Transient Absorption Spectroscopy
Authors: Annika R. Holm, Rachel F. Wallick, Josh Vura-Weis,* and Liviu M. Mirica*
Ref: ACS Catal. 2025 ASAP.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c07700.
Comment: A great work by Professor Mirica and coworkers at the University of Illinois showing the benefits of the Lucent360.
Paper 5: Stereochemical Editing at Sp3-Hybridized Carbon Centers by Reversible, Photochemically Triggered Hydrogen Atom Transfer.
Authors: Maximilian Iglhaut and Thorsten Bach*
Ref: Acc. Chem. Res. 2025, 58, 5, 777–786
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00830.
Comment: We really enjoyed this review looking at stereogenic editing methods with photochemistry and HAT reactions.
Paper 6: Design and Experimental Validation of a Photocatalyst Recommender Based on a Large Language Model.
Authors: Francis Millward, Michał Kulczykowski, Jay Badland-Shaw, Sara Szymkuc, Rajan Suraksha, Aniket Kumar Srivastawa, Violaine Manet, Máire Griffin, Megan Bryden, Thomas Comerford, Lea Hämmerling, Aminata Mariko, Bartosz A. Grzybowski,* and Eli Zysman-Colman*
Ref: Angewandte Chem. Int. Ed. 2025.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202514544.
Comment: Using a Large Language Model to predict and validate the selection of a photocatalyst.
Paper 7: Direct C ─ H Lactonization of Carboxylic Acids Enabled by LMCT Photoactivation.
Authors: Kathryn M. Weber, Rodrigo Villanueva, Mihai V. Popescu, Grace A. Lutovsky, Samuel N. Gockel, Robert S. Paton,* and Tehshik P. Yoon*
Ref: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025 ASAP
Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202515582.
Comment: A useful photochemical method for the conversion of carboxylic acids to lactones without decarboxylation.
Paper 8: Persistent Boryl Radicals as Highly Reducing Photoredox Catalysts for Debrominative Borylations.
Authors: Jingjing Wu, Hui Wang, Huaquan Fang, Kevin C. Wang, Deborin Ghosh, Valerio Fasano, Adam Noble,* and Varinder K. Aggarwal*
Ref: J. Am. Chem. Soc 2025, 147, 19450–19457.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c03864
Comment: A new class of boryl-bipyridine photocatalysts.
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Paper 9: From Tradition to Innovation: The Transition of P450 Enzyme Catalysis via Light-Driven Electron Transfer.
Authors: Ziyang Yin, Jiaying Ai, Jikai Gao, Xiaoyan Lin, Fuping Lu,* Hui-Min Qin,* and Shuhong Mao*
Ref: ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 15, 13412–13427
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c02655.
Comment: If you write a review combining light, cytochrome P450s and porphryins it’s a guarantee that we’ll read your paper and you’ll make our year end list.
Paper 10: Photochemical Manganese-Catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition Reactions.
Authors: Benedikt N. Baumann, Phong Dam, Jabor Rabeah, Christoph Kubis, Angelika Brückner,* Haijun Jiao,* and Marko Hapke*
Ref: ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 5718–5730.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c00349
Comment: Another great work from the Hapke group using photochemistry, high temperatures and the Lucent360 for cyclotrimerization reactions.
![Paper 10: Photochemical Manganese-Catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition Reactions.](https://pubs.acs.org/cms/10.1021/acscatal.5c00349/asset/images/medium/cs5c00349_0013.gif)
Paper 11: Visible Light Promoted Alkenyl C − H Bond Addition to Dienes and Aldehydes for the Synthesis of Frameworks Relevant to Polyketide Natural Products.
Authors: Shohei Ohno, Ramsey M. Goodner, Danielle N. Confair, Brandon Q. Mercado, and Jonathan A. Ellman*
Ref: ACS Catal. 2025.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c05961.
Comment: The fourth Lucent360 paper from this year on our list. Seriously check out the Lucent360. This work by the Ellman group at Yale just qualified for the year with publication online on Christmas day 2025 using photochemistry to make some polyketide natural products.
Paper 12: Magnetic Stirring May Cause Irreproducible Results in Chemical Reactions.
Authors: Vera A. Cherepanova, Evgeniy G. Gordeev, and Valentine P. Ananikov*
Ref: JACS Au 2025, 5, 8, 3789–3798
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00412.
Comment: The only non-photochemistry paper on the list but it remains highly relevant. A very detailed look at the effects of stirring on the irreproducibility of all chemical reactions. If you missed this highly read paper this year, it’s definitely worth your time.
Paper 13: Pyridoxal-Inspired Photo-Decarboxylase Catalysis: Photochemical Decarboxylation of Unprotected Amino Acids.
Authors: Dong-Hang Tan, Agniva Das, Vincent Huang, Timothy D. Schoch, Abubakar Lawal Mohammed, Jeffrey M. Lipshultz
Ref: Angew. Chemie – Int. Ed. 2025, 64 (14).
Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202424843.
Comment: We’ll take a moment to highlight the first independent paper for Professor Lipshultz at Stony Brook which also uses a few EvoluChem LEDs. Congratulations.
Paper 14: A Modular Synthesis of Azetidines from Reactive Triplet Imine Intermediates Using an Intermolecular Aza Paternò – Büchi Reaction.
Authors: Benedict A. Williams, Michael J. Tilby, Nicholas A. Parker, Mycah R. Uehling, J. Caleb Hethcox, Dipannita Kalyani & Michael C. Willis
Ref: Nature Catalysis 8, pages 939–947 (2025)
Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-025-01405-7
Comment: We really enjoyed this work in Nature Catalysis from the Willis lab at the University of Oxford looking at new methods for making azetidines using the PhotoRedox Box.
Paper 15: Carbonylative Ring Expansion of Cyclic Carboxylic Acids.
Authors: Hiroki Shimono, Mayu Kusakabe, Kazunori Nagao,* and Hirohisa Ohmiya*
Ref: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 50, 45884–45892
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c08640
Comment: A very cool method for ring expansion and molecular editing techniques to turn cyclic carboxylic acids into larger heterocycles which just so happens to use the PhotoRedox Box Duo for the photochemistry. Great work!
Paper 16: A Manganese (I) Complex with a 190 Ns Metal- to-Ligand Charge Transfer Lifetime.
Authors: Sandra Kronenberger, Robert Naumann, Christoph Förster, Nathan R. East, Jan Klett and Katja Heinze*
Ref: Nature Communications 16, Article Number: 7850 (2025)
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63225-4
Comment: An inexpensive metal photocatalyst doing things we expect to be more likely of its precious metal relatives.
Paper 17: Energy Transfer-Enabled Enantioselective Photocyclization Using a Privileged Al – Salen Catalyst.
Authors: Julia Soika, Carina Onneken, Thorben Wiegmann, Timo Stünkel, Tobias Morack, Leander Lindfeld, Marian Hebenbrock, Christian Mück-Lichtenfeld, Johannes Neugebauer* and Ryan Gilmour*
Ref: Nature Chemistry volume 17, pages1383–1390 (2025)
Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-01857-1.
Comment: Another work looking at finding alternatives to precious metals with common metal complexes.
Paper 18: A Unified Approach to Meta-Selective Methylation, Mono-, Di- and Trifluoromethylation of Arenes
Authors: Lai, Elisa Y., Lutz Ackermann, and Magnus J. Johansson
Ref: Chemical Science 16: 8478–86
Link: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sc01367d.
Comment: One last Lucent360 paper for the year, this one from the AstraZeneca Gothenburg looking at new methods for quickly accessing substituted arenes.
Paper 19: Exploring the Increased Activity of the Blue Light-Dependent Photoenzyme Fatty Acid Photodecarboxylase under Violet Light.
Authors: Harry J. Spacey, Daniel Healy, Jason M. D. Kalapothakis, Junfeng Ma, Michiyo Sakuma, Perdita E. Barran, Derren J. Heyes,* and Nigel S. Scrutton*
Ref: ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 8, 6088–6097
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.4c07757.
Comment: A very interesting look at the effect of wavelength of light on a naturally occurring photoenzyme and the implications for photodecarboxylation.
Paper 20: Polymers and Light: A Love–Hate Relationship.
Authors: M. A. Sachini, N. Weerasinghe, Tochukwu Nwoko and Dominik Konkolewicz
Ref: Chem. Sci., 2025,16, 5326-5352
Link: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/sc/d5sc00997a
Comment: A good (open access) review of some experimental methods and challenges in photopolymerization reactions.
Paper 21: RAFT with Light: A User Guide to Using Thiocarbonylthio Compounds in Photopolymerizations.
Authors: Magdalena A. Beres, Cyrille Boyer, Matthias Hartlieb, Dominik Konkolewicz, Greg G. Qiao, Brent S. Sumerlin and Sébastien Perrier*
Ref: ACS Polym. Au 2025, 5, 3, 184–213
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acspolymersau.4c00101
Comment: A detailed look at selecting the appropriate wavelength for your photopolymerizations.
Paper 22: Visible Light-Triggered Depolymerization of Commercial Polymethacrylates.
Authors: Hyun Suk Wang, Mikhail Agrachev, Hongsik Kim, Nghia P. Truong, Tae-Lim Choi, Gunnar Jeschke, and Athina Anastasaki
Ref: Science 387 2025, 874-880
Link: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adr1637.
Comment: And to end this run of polymerization papers, a photochemical method for taking them back apart.
Paper 23: Precision Photochemistry: Every Photon Counts.
Authors: Fred Pashley-Johnson, Xingyu Wu, Joshua A. Carroll, Sarah L. Walden, Hendrik Frisch,* Andreas-Neil Unterreiner,* Filip E. Du Prez,* Hans-Achim Wagenknecht,* Javier Read de Alaniz,* Ben L. Feringa,* Alexander Heckel,* and Christopher Barner-Kowollik*
Ref: Angew. Chemie Int. Ed. 64, 2025.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202502651
Comment: A thorough perspective from a full lineup of photochemistry all-stars on the goals and objectives for photochemistry efficiently and effectively.
Paper 24: Breaking Kasha’s Rule to Enable Higher Reactivity in Photoredox Catalysis
Author: Björn Pfund* and Oliver S. Wenger*
Ref: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 30, 26477–26485
Link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5c06115
Comment : Another photochemistry paper challenging the rules that we all believe to be true
Paper 25: New Opportunities to Access Fluorinated Molecules Using Organophotoredox Catalysis via C(Sp3)-F Bond Cleavage.
Authors: Sourav Roy* and Tatiana Besset*
Ref: JACS Au 2025, 5, 2, 466–485
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.4c01158.
Comment : The last review on the list. If you are interested in fluorinating things, check out this review for a summary of photoredox methods big and small for sticking and F on your molecule.
Paper 26: Concurrent Linear Deracemization of Secondary Benzylic Alcohols via Simultaneous Photocatalysis and Whole-Cell Biocatalysis
Authors: W. Y. Wylan Wong, Stephen Wallace,* and Craig P. Johnston*
Ref: ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 17, 15195–15210
Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c04974.
Comment: We’ll end this year’s list with a bonus paper, this very cool example of photochemistry in whole cells. This work took advantage of the PhotoRedox Box, some EvoluChem LEDs, a water-soluble photocatalysis and some whole cells to combine photocatalysis and biocatalysis. Expect to hear more HepatoChem about biocatalysis in 2026, as our soon to be launched plate photoreactor will be ideal for this type of experiment.
