During the past 15 years, an increasing number of research groups have embraced visible-light-mediated synthetic transformations as a powerful strategy for the construction and functionalization of organic molecules. This trend has followed the advent and development of photocatalysis, which often operates under mild visible-light irradiation. Nowadays, the general perception of UV-light photochemistry is often as an out-of-fashion approach that is difficult to perform and leads to unselective reaction pathways. Here we wish to propose an alternative and more realistic point of view to the scientific community. First, we will provide an overview of the use of UV light in modern photochemistry, highlighting the pivotal role it still plays in the development of new, efficient synthetic methods. We will then show how the high levels of mechanistic understanding reached for UV-light-driven processes have been key in the implementation of the related visible-light-driven transformations.

在过去 15 年中，越来越多的研究小组接受可见光介导的合成转化作为有机分子构建和功能化的强大策略。这一趋势是随着光催化的出现和发展而来的，光催化通常在温和的可见光照射下发挥作用。如今，人们普遍认为紫外光化学是一种过时的方法，难以实施并导致非选择性反应途径。在这里，我们希望向科学界提出一种替代的、更现实的观点。首先，我们将概述紫外光在现代光化学中的使用，强调它在开发新的、高效的合成方法中仍然发挥的关键作用。然后，我们将展示对紫外光驱动过程的高水平机械理解如何成为实施相关可见光驱动转换的关键。