Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on nanoparticles, excited by light, effectively transfers energy to organic molecules. These plasmon-molecule interactions can (i) enhance surface chemical reactions (plasmon catalysis) and (ii) amplify analytical signals in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This talk will explain the main principles of energy transfer between plasmonic materials and organic molecules using specific examples from works of Dr. Guselnikova. She contributed to the development of advanced SERS for the analysis of complex environmental and biosamples via surface chemistry approach. Secondly, plasmonic materials could catalyze chemical reactions at room temperature instead of commonly used heating or structurally-complex homogeneous catalysts. The main condition is the use of light with an energy close to absorption of plasmonic catalysts for plasmons excitations. Finally, the current opportunities and challenges in the field of plasmonic materials applications will be overviewed.