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.     

Laser Photochemistry at Surfaces—Laser-Induced Chemical Vapor Deposition and Related Phenomena

The structural characterization of materials and the tailoring of their properties is an important area of chemical research. A new trend in this area is the recourse to lasers both for analytical as well as preparative purposes, exploiting the fact that lasers, by virtue of their properties (sharp energy, spatial and temporal resolution etc.), offer the most precise and selective interaction of energy and matter that we know. Furthermore, photochemical syntheses and material transformations can proceed “cold” and without causing damage to surface structures. Laser chemistry finds application in thin film deposition, in the formation of surface layers, as well as in (structuring) ablation or etching, and in the initiation and enforcing of reactions at surfaces. In the present paper an introduction to these new possibilities on the general basis of molecule-surface interactions is followed by a brief characterization of lasers suitable for such purposes. Thereafter, four examples are discussed: gas phase deposition from volatile organometallic compounds with photoelectric activation at the surface or photochemical activation of the gaseous species (e.g. by employing molecular beams). In this way (noble) metal contacts can be deposited on various substrates. Instead of surface deposition, nucleation can occur in the gaseous medium, yielding highly disperse powders, e.g. of silicon carbide. Finally, an etching reaction is discussed where the laser does not act as an energy source but as an analytical instrument to provide diagnostic and mechanistic information.     

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 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.

     

光化学的初级过程和次级过程

针对物理化学教材中有关光化学初级过程和次级过程、初级过程的量子产率、初级过程的反应速率表示以及是否是零级反应等问题发表了看法。     

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.     

Flow Photochemistry as a Tool in Organic Synthesis

Photochemical transformations of molecular building blocks have become an important and widely recognized research field in the past decade. Detailed and deep understanding of novel photochemical catalysts and reaction concepts with visible light as the energy source has enabled a broad application portfolio for synthetic organic chemistry. In parallel, continuous-flow chemistry and microreaction technology have become the basis for thinking and doing chemistry in a novel fashion with clear focus on improved process control for higher conversion and selectivity. As can be seen by the large number of scientific publications on flow photochemistry in the recent past, both research topics have found each other as exceptionally well-suited counterparts with high synergy by combining chemistry and technology. This review will give an overview on selected reaction classes, which represent important photochemical transformations in synthetic organic chemistry, and which benefit from mild and defined process conditions by the transfer from batch to continuous-flow mode.     

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.     

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.     

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 Alkyltransition-Metal Complexes

Alkyltransition-metal complexes play an important role in catalytic processes (e.g. Ziegler-Natta low-pressure polymerization, hydroformylation, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis), in the biochemistry of humans and animals (e.g. coenzyme B₁₂), and in the classical theory of the chemical bond (e.g. multicenter bonding). The chemistry of alkyltransition-metal complexes is 30 years old, but only with the '70s came the understanding necessary for the systematic synthesis of thermally stable representatives of this class of compounds by blocking preferred decomposition pathways—e.g. β-hydrogen elimination—by the introduction of suitable ligands. In this article it is shown that thermally stable alkyltransition-metal complexes can be dealkylated under mild conditions (even at 12 K) with the help of UV light, thus producing highly reactive intermediates which can be trapped and used preparatively. Some alkyl complexes which do not react thermally with unsaturated compounds, e.g. olefins, under the influence of UV light display high activity as polymerization catalysts.     

Photochemistry of various acene based molecules

Photochemistry based on acenes and their derivatives is one of the emerging research areas in the field of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, due to the increased reactivity of larger acenes towards light and singlet oxygen, it is difficult to precisely control their photochemical reactions. Therefore, the unexpected reactivity of acene-based molecules brings about two challenging topics: how to design stable acenes and how to utilize the photochemistry to design new acene-based functional materials. In this review, we first focus on the mechanism of photochemistry of acenes to theoretically understand how these reactions could have happened. Next, we will give a summary on both acene-based photocyclization and photooxidation reactions.     

“… to make Chemistry more Applicable and Generally Beneficial”—The Transition in Scientific Perspective in Eighteenth Century Chemistry

In 1751, the Swedish chemist Johan Gottschalk Wallerius first differentiated between “pure” and “applied” chemistry, a distinction which was quickly adopted by the other branches of science. Behind this was a new scientific concept of chemistry which emphasized the importance of applying chemistry's accumulated knowledge and its capabilities of providing for the general economic benefit. It also provided chemistry with a new position within the hierarchy of the sciences as well as with a new function in society. The reasons behind and causes of the change in scientific perspective associated with this concept point to the social and institutional conditions under which this field has developed into an independent academic discipline.     

Photochemistry of iron pentacarbonyl adsorbed on titanium dioxide

The photolysis of iron carbonyl (Fe(CO)₅) adsorbed on titanium dioxide (TiO₂, anatase) was studied by FT-IR spectroscopy. When adsorbed Fe(CO)₅ is illuminated by visible and near-UV light, the IR spectrum of its photolysis products is hardly observed, indicating that most of the Fe(CO)₅ is photodecomposed to iron(0) or iron oxides on TiO₂. The carbon monoxide (CO) evolution rate upon illumination depends on the wavelength of light; 433 nm light is more effective for CO evolution than 366 nm light. This result implies that the band-gap excitation of TiO₂ has little effect on the photolysis of adsorbed Fe(CO)₅, since the absorption edge of TiO₂ (anatase) lies at around 400 nm. The effects of substrates on the photolysis of adsorbed Fe(CO)₅ are discussed with reference to previous results obtained for aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) and silicon dioxide (SiO₂), on which the photolysis leads to the formation of Fe₂(CO)₉ or Fe₃(CO)₁₂.     

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.     

Photochemistry in Interstellar Space and Reactions Generating Interstellar Molecules

Over 20 different molecules and radicals have so far been detected in interstellar space. The number of such molecules and radicals and their frequently complicated structure raise the question of the processes leading to their formation. Diatomic molecules and radicals could arise in gas-phase reactions. Formation of polyatomic molecules can be explained in terms of reactions proceeding on the surface dust particles and possibly involving interstellar radiation. The author demonstrates, with the aid of a model, that the molecular abundances and distributions within dust clouds in certain regions can be explained by photocatalytic reactions.     

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.