To utilize them in synthetic chemistry, they must first be converted into more reactive agents (Figure ). The first strategy involves steam reforming, in which alkanes are transformed into syngas (a mixture of CO and H2) at high temperatures (700-1000 °C) and pressures (up to 15-40 bar). This syngas can then be utilized to produce a range of commodity chemicals. The second strategy for using saturated hydrocarbons in synthetic chemistry is to halogenate them, which creates a polarized and reactive site for further chemical reactions. However, this radical halogenation process is low-yielding and unselective, requiring extensive and energy-intensive purification and recycling efforts. Although both processes are not environmentally sustainable in the long run, they remain being performed on a large scale to produce bulk chemicals crucial for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, materials, and other industrial chemicals. Thus, a direct and widely applicable C-H functionalization strategy would bring significant benefits, not only by avoiding the energy-intensive and low-yielding reforming and halogenation processes, but also by enabling the late-stage functionalization of complex organic molecules. In the past lustrum, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) photocatalysis has emerged as a mild strategy for C-H functionalization. Irradiation with light excites the HAT photocatalyst which causes scission of the C-H bond at room temperature, producing open-shell reactive intermediates that can participate in useful chemical reactions. Our group and Zuo et al. have independently developed a protocol for using HAT photocatalysis to activate light alkanes and forge carbon-carbon bonds through capture of the generated carbon-centered radicals by Michael acceptors. Unfortunately, progress in this field has been slow, and the utilization of light hydrocarbons as reactants in synthetic chemistry remains limited to only a few examples, which are often plagued with narrow scope, insufficient scalability, and limited practicality.