Chapter 29: Singlet Oxygen Chemical Acceptors

Over the past 50 years, chemical acceptors of singlet oxygen have been used in a wide variety of studies aimed at obtaining a more detailed and thorough knowledge of singlet-oxygen chemistry: the mechanism of its photosensitized generation, its concentration in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, and its kinetics of production and diffusion in simples and complex systems. Although the development of instrumental techniques such as time-resolved NIR spectroscopy and EPR has provided alternatives to singlet-oxygen chemical traps, they still constitute the core of supramolecular constructs designed to detect and quantify singlet oxygen with greater selectivity and sensitivity. In this chapter, the most relevant characteristics of “classical” singlet-oxygen acceptors are reviewed and their applications in the study of singlet-oxygen behavior in homogeneous and heterogeneous media are discussed considering their advantages and limitations.