Cidep study of radical-ion pair systems: Photooxidation reactions of carbazoles by maleic anhydride in alcohol solution

Photooxidation (charge transfer) reactions of carbazole derivatives by maleic anhydride (MA) in alcoholic media are studied by a time-resolved cw-ESR (TRESR) and Fourier transform ESR (FTESR) techniques. The CIDEP spectra observed in the systems (methyl-, ethyl-, and phenyl-substituted carbazoles with MA) remarkably depend on the MA concentration. Under the high concentration conditions, an emissive TM (triplet mechanism) polarization with a slight A/E (absorption/emission) pattern of the RPM (radical pair mechanism) is observed. In the low concentration of MA, a TM-like absorptive polarization is superimposed on the A/E pattern of the RPM. Since this reaction takes place exclusively through the triplet state, this spectral phase reveals that the singlet state of the radical-ion pair (RIP) has an energy higher than that of the triplet state, in other words, the sign of the apparent exchange interaction of the present RIP systems is positive. The total absorptive polarization observed in the low concentration of MA is tentatively explained by the polarization transfer from the excited triplet state of carbazoles in thermal equilibrium.