| Abstract: | Photodimerization of N-2-isobutyloxyethyl thymine (T-M), bis2-(5-methyl-1-primidinyl)-ethyl] glutarate (T-T), poly(N-2-methacryloyloxyethyl thymine) (polyMAOT), and poly(N-2-acryloyloxyethyl thymine) (poly AOT) was studied in dimethylformamide solution. The rate of intramolecular photodimerization of polyMAOT and polyAOT was 5.7 and 7.2 times faster, respectively, than that of T-T. In T-M, however, intermolecular photodimerization did not occur under the reaction condition used. Quenching studies with isoprene suggest that the photodimerization of T-T occurs predominantly in an excited triplet state, whereas that of polyMAOT and polyAOT occur in singlet and triplet states. It was concluded that the photodimers of T-T, polyMAOT, and polyAOT are two syn-fused cyclobutane-type dimers (cis-syn and trans-syn). Quantum efficiencies of thymine base disappearance were determined by ultraviolet (UV) analysis to be 0.0012 for T-T, 0.0084 for polyMAOT, and 0.010 for polyAOT. |
