As the zeitgeist that inhabits a society evolves, the role of the scientist follows close behind. In the current era the modern chemist is charged with many responsibilities, almost all of which require an interdisciplinary approach; from teaming up with biologists to undertake the development of new therapeutic drugs to collaborating with physicists and engineers for the design of functional materials. One responsibility entrusted to the modern chemist is the development of methods and materials that adhere to the principles of sustainability, energy efficiency, and minimized environmental or ecological harm, while maintaining industrial viability. This thesis explores the concepts of environmental consideration and energetic efficiency within the field of chemistry with a focus on the role of unsaturated organic (hetero)cyclic materials, and their ability to accept electrons or electron density. Chapter 2 will outline the development of a sustainable electrochemical method capable of hydrogenating unsaturated organic materials using a glassy carbon electrode, graphite counter electrode, and a mild concentration of acetic acid under an applied mild reductive potential. Highlighting the potential underutilization of electrosynthetic chemistry, an analogue of the industrially relevant molecule cyclandelate is able to be formed using these mild electrochemical conditions with a yield and mass recovery of >99 %. Chapters 3 and 4 will detail the preparation of two highly benzannulated analogues of 2,2'-bipyridine called biphe (Chapter 3) and p-biphe (Chapter 4) and the subsequent investigation into their charge accepting ability for potential use in the development of energy efficient solar harvesting and deep-red emitting devices. For example, the prepared novel heteroleptic complexes Ru(bpy)2(biphe)2+ and Ir(ppy)2(p-biphe)+ showcase deep-red, room temperature phosphorescence, measured at 752 nm and 813 nm respectively. The 3d metal containing complex Cu(xantphos)(p-biphe)+ showcases very deep-red phosphorescence at 77 K containing a long charge transfer lifetime (40 µs), with an emission maximum measured at 811 nm. Chapter 5 continues the study of materials capable of efficient solar harvest but approaches the problem from another angle - utilizing a different organic chromophore framework colloquially referred to as BODIPY, which exhibits highly tunable optoelectronic properties and a very strong molar absorptivity.