Excimer Sources of Radiation, a New Tool for Organic Photochemistry

André M. Braun

Lehrstuhl für Umweltmesstechnik, Universität Karlsruhe. 76128 Karlsruhe, Germany.

e-mail: Andre.Braun@ciw.uni-karlsruhe.de

With excimer radiation sources, photochemistry enters into a new phase of its evolution as far as both fundamental research and technical development are concerned. In this overview, the operational concept of excimer sources of radiation will be introduced, before their use in a wide horizon of photochemical projects will be described.

From the point of view of a photochemist, the use of pulsed radiation sources and the concept of integrating the photochemical reactor into such radiation sources is most attractive and will be shown with examples taken from publications in the domain of photochemically induced processes based on the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photo­lyses of water and molecular oxygen.

Beside the advantage to use excimer radiation sources in the VUV spectral domain for photolytic or preparative projects, the quasi-monochromacy of the excimer radiation sources represents a great advantage. Results of preparative projects in the domain of pharamceutically active products (e.g. vitamin D, diagnostica), where monochromatic UV-B and UV-A-radiation sources are needed, will be described.

The lecture will be concluded with an outlook on the potential use of excimer radiation sources and on their impact to the domain of material science.

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