Two-photon photochemical generation of reactive enediyne

p-Quinoid cyclopropenone-containing enediyne precursor (1) has been synthesized by monocyclopropanation of one of the triple bonds in p-dimethoxy-substituted 3,4-benzocyclodeca-1,5-diyne followed by oxidative demethylation. Cyclopropenone 1 is stable up to 90 degrees C but readily produces reactive enediyne 2 upon single-photon (Phi(300)(nm) = 0.46) or two-photon (sigma(800 nm) = 0.5 GM) photolysis. The photoproduct 2 undergoes Bergman cyclization at 40 degrees C with the lifetime of 88 h.     

Magnetic resonance studies of imidazoline nitroxides and their photochemical transformations

ESR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, ENDOR and TRIPLE resonance have been employed to study photochemical reactions of 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-phenyl-3-imidazoline-3-oxide-1-oxyl and to determine the electronic structures of the initial and final radicals. The light-induced isomerization of a phenyl nitron group to an oxaziridine group has been shown to proceed without involving the radical centre.     

Kinetics of heat-induced and photochemical transformations of quinonimines and their derivatives

Heat-induced transformations of N-[2,6-diisopropylphenyl]-3,5-di(tert-butyl)-, N-[2,6-diethylphenyl]-3,5-di(tert-butyl)-, and N-[2-methyl-6-ethylphenyl]-3,5-di(tert-butyl)-o-benzoquinonimines in nonane follow the first-order rate equation, whereas that of N-[2,5-di(tert-butyl)phenyl]-3,5-di(tert-butyl-o-benzoquinonimine obey the second-order rate equation. Kinetic parameters of these reactions have been determined. 4aH-Phenoxazine derivatives of quinonimines are intermediates of the heat-induced transformations following the first-order kinetics; under the irradiation with 405 nm light they undergo the ring opening to give the starting compounds with quantum yield close to unity.     

Infrared-spectroscopic study of amino-substituted nitrilimines and their photochemical transformations in an argon matrix

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Regioselective hydroxylation of phenols by simultaneous photochemical generation of phenol cation-radical and hydroxyl radical

Substituted phenols having pendant isoquinoline N-oxide were synthesized and their photochemical and luminiscent properties studied. Photolysis in an acid medium was found to yield the related photohydroxylation products, in a regioselective process, in addition to the isoquinoline deoxygenated precursor. Photoinduced electron transfer from the donor phenols to the protonated form of the first excited singlet state (S₁) of the pendant isoquinoline N-oxide acting as acceptor leads to a red-shifted emissive charge transfer (CT) state that is in fact a radical/cation-radical pair. Homolysis of the N-OH bond restores the aromatic isoquinoline nucleus and produces a hydroxyl radical that can couple to the required ring carbon in the phenol cation-radical to give the photohydroxylation products in a regioselective process controlled by the spin density of the phenol cation-radical. These photohydroxylation processes efficiently compete with the reported tendency to deprotonation in phenol cation-radicals. The photohydroxylation process by itself, and its regioselectivity, exclude a proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism or a consecutive electron transfer/deprotonation reaction. By contrast, the phenol cation-radical exists long enough to undergo the hydroxyl radical coupling reaction that leads to the photohydroxylation products.     

Galactose oxidase models: solution chemistry, and phenoxyl radical generation mediated by the copper status

Galactose oxidase (GO) is an enzyme that catalyzes two-electron oxidations. Its active site contains a copper atom coordinated to a tyrosyl radical, the biogenesis of which requires copper and dioxygen. We have recently studied the properties of electrochemically generated mononuclear Cu(II)-phenoxyl radical systems as model compounds of GO. We present here the solution chemistry of these ligands under various copper and dioxygen statuses: N(3)O ligands first chelate Cu(II), leading, in the presence of base, to [Cu(II)(ligand)(CH(3)CN)](+) complexes (ortho-tert-butylated ligands) or [(Cu(II))(2)(ligand)(2)](2+) complexes (ortho-methoxylated ligands). Excess copper(II) then oxidizes the complex to the corresponding mononuclear Cu(II)-phenoxyl radical species. N(2)O(2) tripodal ligands, in the presence of copper(II), afford directly a copper(II)-phenoxyl radical species. Addition of more than two molar equivalents of copper(II) affords a Cu(II)-bis(phenoxyl) diradical species. The donor set of the ligand directs the reaction towards comproportionation for ligands possessing an N(3)O donor set, while disproportionation is observed for ligands possessing an N(2)O(2) donor set. These results are discussed in the light of recent results concerning the self-processing of GO. A path involving copper(II) disproportionation is proposed for oxidation of the cross-linked tyrosinate of GO, supporting the fact that both copper(I) and copper(II) activate the enzyme.     

Engineering reactions in crystalline solids: photochemical generation of secondary and tertiary enol radical pairs from crystalline ketodiesters.

The photochemical decarbonylation of several crystalline 1,3-acetonedicarboxylates has been analyzed in solution and in the solid state. It is shown that the efficiency of the solid-state reaction depends on the stability of the intermediate acyl-alkyl and alkyl-alkyl radical pairs. Reactions proceeding through tertiary enol radicals are more efficient than reactions proceeding through secondary enol radical centers. Solid-state reactions that require the intermediacy of primary enol radicals do not occur. It is also shown that the selectivity of product formation in crystals depends on the structure of the reactant solid phase.     

Thermal analysis in studies of photochemical transformations in PVC

The effects of photochemical processes in PVC in response to UV irradiation at 253.7 nm on its thermal stability were investigated. It was found that small differences in the efficiency of the photochemical processes taking place in the PVC can be recorded in the thermal measurements, and that photodehydrochlorination lowers the temperature of thermal dehydrochlorination, while photooxidation and crosslinking increase the temperature of complete decomposition of this polymer.

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Zusammenfassung Der Einfluß der durch UV-Bestrahlung bei 253,7 nm hervorgerufenen fotochemischen Prozesse auf die thermische Stabilität von PVC wurde untersucht. Mittels der thermischen Untersuchungen wurde gefunden, daß im Ergebnis der im PVC stattfindenden fotochemischen Prozesse kleine Unterschiede bestehen. Fotodehydrochlorierung vermindert die Temperatur für die thermische Dehydrochlorierung, während Fotooxidation und Vernetzung die Temperatur für die vollständige Zersetzung dieses Polymers erhöhen.

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Studies of photochemical transformations in polystyrene and styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer

Thin films of polystyrene (PS) and styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (St-MAn) were exposed to monochromatic UV radiation (254 nm) for varied time intervals. The course of photochemical transformations was monitored by absorption spectroscopy (FT-IR, UV-vis) and thermogravimetry, which were also applied for the estimation of the thermal stability of samples studied. The changes of surface properties were monitored by contact angle measurements.Changes in chemical structure were found in irradiated films (inside and at the surface). The efficiency of photooxidative degradation in St-MAn copolymer was slightly lower than that in PS homopolymer but photo-crosslinking and chromophore formation were enhanced. An increase of hydrophilicity and oxidation degree in UV-irradiated samples was accompanied by destruction processes. The thermal stability of St-MAn was lower in comparison to polystyrene alone.The mechanism of photochemical reactions in the copolymer is proposed.     

Gas-phase radical chemistry in the troposphere

Atmospheric free radicals are low concentration, relatively fast reacting species whose influence is felt throughout the atmosphere. Reactive radicals have a key role in maintaining a balanced atmospheric composition through their central function in controlling the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere. In this tutorial review, the chemistry of three main groups of atmospheric radicals HO(x), NO(x) and XO(x)(X = Cl, Br, I) are examined in terms of their sources, interconversions and sinks. Key examples of the chemistry are given for each group of radicals in their atmospheric context.     

Bimolecular photoinitiating systems of polymerization: photochemical behavior and radical efficiency

A key component in light-induced radical polymerization is the photoinitiator which produces free radicals through a photochemical reaction. In the first part of this paper, a short analysis of the different steps that take place in the light-induced radical polymerization using bimolecular photoinitiating systems is made. In the second part, the obtained results in the polymerization of acrylic monomers using conjugated and nonconjugated aminobenzophenones as photoinitiators are shown. A summary of the photochemical behavior of these photoinitiators together with several aspects related to the polymerization kinetics are described. The nature and efficiency of the produced radicals are studied as well as the reactivity of the radicals generated from the substituted dimethylanilines-camphorquinone photoinitiation systems. Important mechanistic differences were found in the photochemical behavior and radical efficiency for the families of photoinitiators studied.     

Pre-organization of diarylideneacetonyl crownophanes in single crystals to photochemical transformations

Specific features of crystal packings and pre-organization of diarylideneacetonyl crownophane molecules to solid-phase photochemical transformations were studied on the basis of X-ray diffraction data using methods of simulation of molecular crystal packings. The tendency of the most part of the synthesized macrocyclic E,E-isomers to the formation of homochiral crystals (P2₁2₁2₁) was revealed, while (23E,26E)-11,12,14,15-tetrahydro-8H-dinaphtho-[2,1-k:1′,2′-r][1,4,7,10]tetraoxacyclononadecine-23,26-dien-25(9H)-one is prone to polymorphism. A phenomenon of solid-phase stereospecific photochemical dimerization of molecules according to the syn-head-to-tail type without crystal destruction (single crystal—single crystal transformation) was found for one of the modifications of this crownophane.     

Photophysics and photochemical dynamics of methylanisole molecules in a supersonic jet

The fluorescence excitation, dispersed fluorescence and hole burning spectra, and fluorescence lifetimes of jet-cooled o-, m-, and p-methylanisoles (MA) were measured. The low-frequency ring methyl internal rotational bands observed for their S₀ and S₁ states were assigned. In the case of m-MA, the rotational isomers of cis and trans conformers, which arise from the orientation of the OCH₃ group with respect to the CH₃ group, were assigned by hole-burning spectroscopy. The observed level energies and relative intensities of the methyl internal rotation were reproduced by a calculation using a free rotor basis set. Furthermore, their potentials in the S₀ and the S₁ states were determined. The potential barrier heights for the S₀ states of m- and p-MA were quite low, suggesting that the methyl groups are freely rotating, while changing from S₀ to S₁ states, the potential barrier height increases. The potential barrier heights of o-MA drastically decreased in going from S₀ to S₁ states. The decrease would be due to the hydrogen bonding between O atom and one H atom of the methyl group. The torsional bands of the methoxy group (–OCH₃) were also observed for p- and o-MA. The –OCH₃ modes are found to couple with the level of the e species for the methyl internal rotation.Fluorescence lifetimes (τ_f) of the methyl internal rotational bands in the S₁ states of o-, m-, and p-MA were measured in order to investigate the photochemical dynamics. The values of the nonradiative rate constant (k_nr) were estimated from the τ_f values and Franck–Condon factors. The k_nr values drastically increased with the excitation of methyl internal rotation. Accordingly, the methyl internal rotation should enhance the nonradiative process, presumably intersystem crossing (ISC). The enhancement should be caused by the increase of the state density (ρ) effectively coupled with triplet manifolds. The drastic increase in the ρ value should be caused by level mixing. In addition, the methyl internal rotational motion may enhance the increase of the coupling matrix elements through the vibronic coupling between the excited singlet states. The remarkable rotational quantum species dependence on the ISC rate constant (k_ISC) value clearly appeared in m-MA. The dependence should result from the difference of the ρ value between a₁ and e species, since the e species are doubly degenerate. The species dependence was apparently related to the potential barrier height, suggesting that the large barrier height should have an influence on the ρ value of the triplet states.     

Remarks on the specificities of the photochemical and thermal transformations in the vitamin D field

A discussion is given of some mechanistic aspects of the photochemical and thermal isomerization reactions occurring in the vitamin D field. Possible explanations of the stereochemical specificities of these reactions are tentatively put forward.