Photochemistry of a naphthalene-thymine dyad in the presence of acetone

Irradiation of dyad 1 in aqueous acetone leads to the introduction of an acetonyl substituent at the naphthalene 5-position, to give photoproduct 2. The proposed reaction mechanism involves electron transfer from the naphthalene excited singlet state to the ketone. Neither thymine dimers, nor acetone photoadducts involving the thymine ring were detected. These photoproducts would arise from the thymine triplet excited state, which in dyad 1 must be efficiently depopulated via a fast intramolecular energy transfer to the naphthalene chromophore, due to the lower energy of its excited triplet state.