Spin-forbidden excitation of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ enables red light driven photocatalysis

Red light driven catalysis presents a promising alternative to conventional blue light photocatalysis, offeringenhanced light penetration, functional group tolerance, and energy efficiency. However, its widespread application remains underdeveloped, partly due to the lack of readily accessible photocatalysts. [Ru(bpy)3]2+ is one of the most frequently used blue light photocatalysts. Here, we demonstrate the application of [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ in various red light-induced transformations and investigate the underlying photophysical properties, revealing a direct singlet-to-triplet excitation under red light irradiation. Our findings suggest that red light driven photocatalysis could be possible with many other photocatalysts not considered for this purpose until now.