ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews a less developed area of zeolite catalysis, namely, electrochemically and photochemically driven reactions. This newer research direction makes use of the same host-guest structural interactions which give rise to selectivity in the thermal catalytic chemistry of zeolites. The result of work in this area is a rich variety of new chemistry in which the course of electrochemical and photochemical reactions can be predicted (or at least rationalized ex post facto) on structural grounds. The well-known activity of zeolite catalysts in certain kinds of organic transformations coupled with the general utility of photochemistry in organic synthesis makes the intracrystalline volume of zeolites a place where one might naturally expect to find interesting and practical organic photochemical reactions. To date, several reactions of this type have been investigated. Some reactions have taken advantage of the acid-base and electron acceptor properties of zeolite catalysts, and excellent photocatalytic activity has been demonstrated in these cases.
