Influence of solvent on the yield of singlet oxygen upon the chloride ion-catalyzed decomposition of dimethyldioxirane

The excitation yield of the singlet molecular oxygen ¹Δ _g φ(¹O₂)] in the reaction of the dimethyldioxirane with the chloride ion in benzene, acetone, methylene chloride, and acetonitrile solutions has been determined. The φ(¹O₂) value depends on the solvent nature and is in the range 50–84%. Correlation between the value of the singlet oxygen yield and the Kamlet-Taft parameter (α) characterizing the acidity of the solvent as a hydrogen bond donor has been established: the higher the α value, the higher the ¹O₂ yield.