There is provided a process for alkylating a substrate with a photocatalytic system. The process comprises providing a mixture containing an acid, and a substrate (an organic compound). Then, an organophotoredox catalyst of formula Ia is contact with the mixture. Finally, the organophotoredox catalyst is activated with a light irradiation to alkylate the substrate and form a carbon covalent bond.

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Catalyst preforming rates during hydroformylation may decrease in the presence of carbonates. Carbonate mitigation methods may comprise treating a hydroformylation reaction product with an aqueous carboxylic acid under oxidizing conditions to form a deactivated catalyst aqueous solution having a pH of about 4 or less, reducing the hydroformylation reaction product to form a reduced reaction product, conveying a gas stream through the reduced reaction product to strip carbon dioxide therefrom, contacting caustic aqueous solution with the stripped reduced reaction product to form partially spent caustic aqueous solution, combining at least a portion of the partially spent caustic aqueous solution with the deactivated catalyst aqueous solution to form a combined aqueous mixture sufficiently acidic to decompose carbonate, and extracting a Group 9 transition metal carboxylate from the combined aqueous mixture into an organic phase.