Singlet oxygen: there is indeed something new under the sun

Abstract

Singlet oxygen, O₂(a¹Δ_g), the lowest excited electronic state of molecular oxygen, has been known to the scientific community for ∼80 years. It has a characteristic chemistry that sets it apart from the triplet ground state of molecular oxygen, O₂(X³Σ⁻_g), and is important in fields that range from atmospheric chemistry and materials science to biology and medicine. For such a “mature citizen”, singlet oxygen nevertheless remains at the cutting-edge of modern science. In this critical review, recent work on singlet oxygen is summarized, focusing primarily on systems that involve light. It is clear that there is indeed still something new under the sun (243 references).