[en] The most interesting recent publications dealing with so-called artificial photosynthesis, i.e., the development of photocatalytic converters of solar energy to the chemical bond energy using the fundamental principles of natural oxygenic photosynthesis, are discussed. The key stages of photosynthesis that should be reproduced in the artificial converters include light harvesting and transport of the light quantum to reaction centres where photoinduced charge separation occurs to give elementary reducing agents and oxidants (electrons and holes). The dark catalytic reactions involving the elementary reducing agents and oxidants give stable end products, namely, dioxygen and carbohydrates in the natural photosynthesis or dioxygen and hydrogen in the artificial photosynthesis. The bibliography includes 99 references.

[en] The review addresses direct methane oxidation — an important fundamental problem, which has attracted much attention of researchers in recent years. Analysis of the available results on biomimetic and bio-inspired methane oxygenation has demonstrated that assimilating of the experience of Nature on oxidation of methane and other alkanes significantly enriches the arsenal of chemistry and can radically change the character of the entire chemical production, as well as enables the solution of many material, energetic and environmental problems. The bibliography includes 310 references.

[en] The state-of-the-art of investigations in the field of catalysis of biological oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons by molecular oxygen and simulation of this process based on metal complexes is reviewed. The bibliography includes 296 references.