The Chemistry of Interstellar Space

Within the last ten to twenty years, radioastronomers have discovered the existence of almost 100 different molecules in interstellar space. Ranging in complexity from two to thirteen atoms, these molecules are found in cold, rarefied regions called interstellar clouds, which are giant accumulations of gas and dust located in our galaxy as well as many others. Interstellar clouds are also the birthplaces of future generations of stars and are of great interest to astronomers. The observation of the large sample of gaseous molecules, detected mainly via their rotational spectral patterns, tells astronomers about the detailed physical conditions in interstellar clouds, and tells chemists about the extent of molecular synthesis possible under the seemingly harsh conditions of low temperature and density. The molecules are mainly organic in nature and comprise species known to be both stable and common in the laboratory as well as those both unstable and uncommon under terrestrial conditions, including radicals and molecular ions. Although the gas phase of interstellar clouds is well studied via spectroscopic techniques, the dust particles are much more poorly characterized via their scattering and absorption of visible radiation as well as some broad resonances in the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the spectrum. It is normally thought that these submicron-sized particles consist of cores that are composites of silicate and carbonaceous materials with mantles that contain material deposited from the gas such as ices of water, ammonia, and methane. In addition to the dust particles and gaseous molecules, there is some evidence for very large aromatic molecules (the so-called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAH's) which occupy a nether region in between large gas-phase species and small dust particles. As our understanding of the chemical processes in interstellar clouds increases, it may be possible to speculate how large interstellar molecules can come into existence and whether or not there is a clear connection between interstellar chemistry and the start of life on earth.     

星际分子微波波谱研究进展

介绍了星际分子研究的概况,对微波波谱作为研究星际分子的重要方法的特点、特殊方法和技术以及取得的进展进行了综述,特别对近年来的微波波谱星际分子研究进行了分类介绍,提出了目前研究的难点并展望了发展趋势.     

185-nm Photochemistry of Olefins,Strained Hydrocarbons,and Azoalkanes in Solution

The possibility to excite directly at 185 nm chromophores that absorb in the vacuum-UV has stimulated increased activity during the last decade in this field of photochemistry. Whereas photochemical reactions at λ<200 nm have been thoroughly investigated in the gas phase, only recently have intensive studies on the 185-nm photochemistry of organic compounds in solution provided new insights. Despite the high excitation energies, selective photoreactions are promoted in the short-lived singlet excited states (Rydberg photochemistry). In contrast to conventional photochemistry (λ > 220 nm), 185-nm irradiation preferentially results in intramolecular rearrangement, fragmentation, and isomerization reactions. Intermolecular radical couplings and abstractions as well as dimerizations (π, π^*-excitation) compete minimally. Besides the straightforward denitrogenation of photoresistant (“reluctant”) azoalkanes, important applications of the short-wavelength photolysis are also found in technology (photolithography) and medicine (193-nm laser). Broadening the scope of the synthetic potential of the 185-nm photochemistry, which so far has been limited to direct cis/trans isomerizations, presents a challenge for the chemist.     

Photochemistry of N-Phenylbenzenecarbohydroxamic acid

N-Phenylbenzenecarbohydroxamic acid undergoes a photoreaction in cyclohexane and methanol to give benzanilide as a major product.

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Photochemie von N-Phenylbenzolcarbohydroxamsäure

Zusammenfassung N-Phenylbenzolcarbohydroxamsäure ergibt in einer Photoreaktion (in Cyclohexan und Methanol) Benzanilid als Hauptprodukt.

     

Photochemistry of Transition-Metal Atoms: Reactions with Molecular Hydrogen and Methane in Low-Temperature Matrices

Reactions of metal atoms with molecular hydrogen and alkanes are prototypical of more complex systems involving metal-mediated reactions in solution, on supports, and on surfaces. The simplicity of metal-atom reactions makes them particularly attractive for fundamental experimental and theoretical studies. Following the first reports of H₂ and CH₄ activation by photoexcited metal atoms in cryogenic matrices, the behavior of a number of transition-metal atoms in their ground and selected electronically excited states has been examined with molecular hydrogen, methane, and ethane. A wealth of structural, electronic, reactivity, and selectivity information is emerging from these studies and it is now becoming possible to recognize the controlling factors at work in these fundamental chemical reactions. In this article, some experimental results for a number of metal-atom systems, in particular, those involving silver, copper, manganese, and iron atoms, are presented along with a discussion of the factors that are believed to be important in the understanding of the observed physical and chemical behavior.     

Photochemistry of condensed isoxazolines

Summary The condensed bridged isoxazolines4 are rearranged on irradiation with a low-pressure mercury lamp exclusively into condensed derivatives of tetrahydropyridine5. The selectivity of the rearrangement is due to a stabilization of the biradical8 by the overlap of the radical-electrons with -electrons of the C=C double bond and the heterocyclic ring. Quantum yields of the photorearrangement, established from the consumption of the starting materials4, were determined.

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Photochemie kondensierter Isoxazoline

Zusammenfassung Die kondensierten überbrückten Isoxazoline4 werden durch Bestrahlen mit einer Niederdruckquecksilberlampe ausschließlich zu kondensierten Tetrahydropyridinderivaten (5) umgelagert. Die Selektivität der Umlagerung beruht auf der Stabilisierung des Diradikals8 durch Überlappung der ungepaarten Elektronen mit -Elektronen der C=C-Doppelbindung und des Heterocyclus. Aus dem Verbrauch an Ausgangsmaterial (4) wurden Quantenausbeuten der Photoumlagerung bestimmt.

     

Mechanistic Organic Photochemistry

Organic photochemical reactions can be understood as transformations of the electronically excited states of the reactant molecules. By considering Lewis structure or molecular orbital representations of these excited states it is possible to outline the several possible reactions available in the case of a given reactant. A number of different types of photochemical transformations are now reasonably well understood. In these cases one finds the same common controlling feature, namely the tendency for an excited state species to follow mechanistic pathways of minimum energy and the requirement for continuous electron redistribution in following these pathways. These preferred transformations can often be selected by inspection of relative bond orders for different types of bonding, by comparison of the potential energy surfaces available to the excited state molecules, and by use of correlation diagrams. The reactions derive from both singlet and triplet states, and one of the more reliable methods now available for identifying excited states reacting is termed the “fingerprint method”. Examples of the author's mechanistic approach are given both for ketone and for hydrocarbon photochemistry.     

Gas-Grain Modeling of Interstellar O2

Molecular oxygen (O\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document}) is essential to human beings on the earth. Although elemental oxygen is rather abundant, O\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document} is rare in the interstellar medium. It was only detected in two galactic and one extra-galactic region. The inconsistency between observations and theoretical studies is a big challenge for astrochemical models. Here we report a two-phase modeling research of molecular oxygen, using the Nautilus gas-grain code. We apply the isothermal cold dense models in the interstellar medium with two typical sets of initial elemental abundances, as well as the warm-up models with various physical conditions. Under cold dense conditions, we find that the timescales for gas-phase CO, O\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document} and H\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document}O to reach peak values are dependent on the hydrogen density and are shortened when hydrogen density increases. In warm-up models, O\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document} abundances are in good agreement with observations at temperatures rising after 10\begin{document}$ ^5 $\end{document} yr. In both isothermal and warm-up models, the steady-state O\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document} fractional abundance is independent of the hydrogen density, as long as the temperature is high enough (\begin{document}$ > $\end{document}30 K), at which O\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document} is prevented from significant depleting onto grain surface. In addition, low density is preferable for the formation of O\begin{document}$ _2 $\end{document}, whether molecular oxygen is under cold conditions or in warm regions.     

Memory of Chirality in Photochemistry

The helical-chiral character of the diradical intermediate 2 , which cyclizes quicker than it equilibrates, explains the memory effect of chirality that occurs during the enantioselective photocyclization of alanine derivative 1 to give the proline derivative 3 . Ts=H₃CC₆H₄SO₂.     

The Beginnings of Organic Photochemistry

Although sunlight induced photochemistry must have occurred on the planet Earth for billions of years, the chemical changes caused by light have attracted systematic scientific scrutiny only relatively recently. How did scientists first conceive the idea that the interaction of materials with light could not only cause physical phenomena, but could also alter their chemical nature? When sunlight began to be employed as a heat source for distillation, the eventual discovery of photochemical reactions was assured. One can envision three types of changes that would have aroused the curiosity of laboratory chemists: color changes; the evolution of gas bubbles (oxygen in photosynthesis); and the precipitation of a photoproduct less soluble than its precursor. Less predictable was the observation that sunlight caused crystalline santonin to burst because it is converted into a product with a different crystal lattice. In the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries a variety of photochemical reactions, some observed by chance, others uncovered in carefully planned studies, ultimately led to a major systematic investigation that established photochemistry as a viable branch of chemistry.     

Photochemistry of p-Nitroacetophenone in 2-Propanol

Upon irradiation in 2-propanol, p-nitroacetophenone 1 was reduced via the triplet state to p-hydroxyaminoacetophenone 5 which was further reduced to p-aminoacelophenone 2 and 4,4′-diacetylazobenzene 4 . Similar irradiation of 5 also gave 2 and 4 , and its oxidation by oxygen gave 4,4′-diacetylazoxybenzene 3 . Photolysis of monomeric p-nitrosoacetophenone 6 afforded acetophenone and 3 that were not produced during the irradiation of 1 . Possible photoreaction pathways were discussed on the basis of published mechanisms.     

我国光化学研究的进展及展望

本文对我国开展光化学研究的历程和目前光化学研究的现状进行了简单的介绍,并对今后几年光化学的发展进行了展望.     

The Photochemistry of Stilbenoid Compounds and Their Role in Materials Technology

Stilbenes and compounds containing stilbene units in their structures form the material basis for numerous research projects in photophysics and photochemistry. Moreover, because these compounds are easy to synthesize and are thermally and chemically stable, they are taking on an increasingly prominent role in the area of materials science investigations into optical, electrical, and optoelectronic properties. In accordance with the interdisciplinary nature of such studies, this article aims to provide a bridge extending from molecular theory and photophysical measurements, through preparative applications, to material effects and their potential technical applications.     

富勒烯[60]的光化学反应研究

从光物理出发,综述了近几年富勒烯「６０」的光化学反应研究进展。Ｃ６０能发生诸多的光化学反应：（１）光氧化;（２）光氢化还原;（３）「２＋２」光环化加成;（４）与叔胺的光加成;（５）与氨基酸的光加成;（６）与金属有机化合物的光加成。     

Photochemistry of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines and pyridines

The photochemistry of some Hantzsch 4-phenyl-1,4-dihydropyridines bearing a substituent on the phenyl ring (the three isomeric chloro derivatives and the 4′-nitro derivative) has been studied. All of these compounds underwent inefficient aromatization to the corresponding pyridines (quantum yield <10⁻⁴ at 366 nm, <10⁻² at 254 nm). This process is scarcely affected by molecular oxygen and is initiated by proton transfer (from C₄-H), probably to the solvent, from the excited singlet. In turn, the thus formed pyridines were photoreactive with comparable or higher efficiency. Thus, the 4-(3′-chlorophenyl) and 4-(4′-chlorophenyl) Hantzsch pyridines underwent positional rearrangement to form two isomers each. The reaction occurs via Dewar benzene--prismane path. In the case of the minor isomer a further 1,3-shift take place at the Dewar benzene level. The 4-(2′-chlorophenyl) derivative underwent C-Cl bond homolysis, which led to cyclization of the phenyl group onto one of the ester groups forming a pyrane ring.     

Adiabatic Photoreactions of Organic Molecules

An adiabatic photoreaction is a chemical process that occurs entirely on a single excited electronic energy surface. As a rule, most photoreactions of organic molecules start on an excited electronic surface but “jump” to a lower surface somewhere along the reaction coordinate. There are, however, exceptions to this general rule. For example, photoreactions involving small structural changes and minor alterations in covalent bonding (e.g., proton transfer and complex formation) are commonly found to occur adiabatically. The purpose of this review is to survey examples of more complicated adiabatic photoreactions such as fragmentation, electrocyclic rearrangements, and geometrical isomerizations. The concepts employed are presented in an introductory discussion.