Experimental study of sensitized photooxidation reaction of compounds with anthracene structure in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Sensitized photooxidation of a series of compounds with an anthracene structure in a block poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) containing a tetrapyrrole pigment (TPP) or anthraquinone dyes as spectral sensitizers, was studied. The values of changes in the molar refraction at equal to 441 and 633 nm were determined experimentally. They satisfactorily agreed with the theoretical values calculated from dispersional relationships. The initial quantum yields of the photooxidation (⁰ox) of the anthracene compounds were measured both in solution and in PMMA blocks. The lack of correlation between the ⁰ox values in the solid polymers and in the liquid solution indicates the dominating role of the polymeric matrix in determining the effectiveness of photooxidation process taking place. In the selection of the optimal polymerization conditions for the synthesis of the polymeric blocks, the values of ⁰ox of certain anthracene compounds can be up to 1. In the series of the anthraquinone dyes used, 1,4-dihydroxy and 2-aminoanthraquinones, whose ⁰ox reaches the values of 0.2–0.25 have the highest sensitizing ability.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 235–240, March–April, 1986.