A pulse radiolysis and pulsed laser study of the pyrromethene 567 triplet state

The triplet state of pyrromethene 567, a molecule with potential as a solid state laser dye, has been characterized in benzene by pulse radiolysis in terms of its absorption spectrum, lifetime, self-quenching, electronic excitation energy, triplet–triplet extinction coefficient and oxygen quenching rate constant. The use of laser flash photolysis has then allowed determination of the triplet quantum yield, efficiency of formation of singlet oxygen (¹Δ_g), and the rate constant for reaction of the latter species with the ground state. The affects of oxygen on the fluorescence and triplet yields demonstrate that oxygen-induced intersystem crossing is important, the sum of these parameters being unity within experimental error. The mechanism of reaction of P-567 with ¹Δ_g in benzene is predominantly physical in character with only a small (6%) contribution from chemical reaction.