A photooxygenation is a light-induced oxidation reaction in which molecular oxygen is incorporated into the product(s). Initial research interest in photooxygenation reactions arose from Oscar Raab's observations in 1900 that the combination of light, oxygen and photosensitizers is highly toxic to cells. Early studies of photooxygenation focused on oxidative damage to DNA and amino acids, but recent research has led to the application of photooxygenation in organic synthesis and photodynamic therapy.
Photooxygenation reactions are initiated by a photosensitizer, which is a molecule that enters an excited state when exposed to light of a specific wavelength (e.g. dyes and pigments). The excited sensitizer then reacts with either a substrate or ground state molecular oxygen, starting a cascade of energy transfers that ultimately result in an oxygenated molecule. Consequently, photooxygenation reactions are categorized by the type and order of these intermediates (as type I, type II, or type III reactions).