Intermediate, biradical triplet

When pyrrole is irradiated, only decomposition products were obtained. Theoretical data can fit this statement (Fig. 6). In fact, the direct irradiation populates the excited singlet state, which can be converted into the Dewar pyrrole or into the corresponding triplet state. Clearly, the intersystem crossing to the triplet state allows the system to reach the lowest energy state. The excited triplet state can give the biradical intermediate, and this intermediate can give either the decomposition... 

In contrast, when the irradiation is performed on 2-cyanopyrrole, the isomeric products are observed. In fact, in this case, the corresponding Dewar pyrrole shows a lower energy than in the previous case, allowing the formation of the isomeric products (Fig. 6). When 2-methylpyrrole is used as substrate, the formation of the triplet state is favored, but this triplet state cannot evolve through the formation of the biradical intermediate. 

Also in this case calculation results fit the experimental data (Fig. 7) [99H(50)1115]. In fact, the singlet excited state can evolve, giving the Dewar thiophene (and then isomeric thiophenes) or the corresponding excited triplet state. This triplet state cannot be converted into the biradical intermediate because this intermediate shows a higher energy than the triplet state, thus preventing the formation of the cyclopropenyl derivatives. 

When 2-cyanothiophene is used in calculations, the results fit the experimental results (Fig. 9). In fact, the formation of the triplet state of 2-cyanothiophene cannot allow the formation of the biradical intermediate allowing the formation of the Dewar thiophene [99H(50)1115]. 

In the photochemical isomerization of isoxazoles, we have evidence for the presence of the azirine as the intermediate of this reaction. The azirine is stable and it is the actual first photoproduct of the reaction, as in the reaction of r-butylfuran derivatives. The fact that it is able to interconvert both photochemically and thermally into the oxazole could be an accident. In the case of 3,5-diphenylisoxazole, the cleavage of the O—N bond should be nearly concerted with N—C4 bond formation (8IBCJ1293) nevertheless, the formation of the biradical intermediate cannot be excluded. The results of calculations are in agreement with the formation of the azirine [9911(50)1115]. The excited singlet state can convert into a Dewar isomer or into the triplet state. The conversion into the triplet state is favored, allowing the formation of the biradical intermediate. The same results [99H(50)1115] were obtained using as substrate 3-phenyl-5-methylisoxazole (68ACR353) and... 

Calculations are in agreement with the formation of excited triplet state, and this intermediate can evolve to the formation of the azirine via the biradical intermediate [99H(50)1115]. 

The irradiation of 3-carbomethoxyisoxazole (47) gave the corresponding oxazole (48) in very low yields (5-8%) without the isolation of the corresponding azirine (Scheme 22) [71JCS(C)1196]. Also in this case calculations show that the energy of the triplet state allows the formation of the biradical intermediate and then of the azirine. However, the low yields of the conversion can be explained considering that the transformation of the biradical intermediate into the azirine is an endothermic reaction (Fig. 10) [99H(50)1115]. 

The irradiation of 3-phenyl-4-acetyl-5-methylisoxazole (49) gave the isomeric oxazole (50) (Scheme 22) (75JA6484 76HCA2074). The reaction can involve the formation of the biradical intermediate starting from the triplet state, in agreement... 

Computational results are reported for the isomerization of 1,4,5-trimethyl-imidazole (99MI233). They show that the isomerization occurs through the Dewar isomer arising from the excited singlet state. The formation of the triplet state is energetically favored however, the biradical intermediate cannot be produced because it has higher energy than the excited triplet state. 

Calculations account for the experimental results (Fig. 20) (99MI233). The first excited singlet state (which accounts for the absorption at 269 nm calculated value 267 nm) was converted into the corresponding triplet state (69 kcal moF experimental 68 kcal moF ). The triplet state gives the cleavage of the S—N bond with the formation of the biradical intermediate. This intermediate leads to the product. 

A simple example serves to illnstrate the similarities between a reaction mechanism with a conventional intermediate and a reaction mechanism with a conical intersection. Consider Scheme 9.2 for the photochemical di-tt-methane rearrangement. Chemical intnition snggests two possible key intermediate structures, II and III. Computations conhrm that, for the singlet photochemical di-Jt-methane rearrangement, structure III is a conical intersection that divides the excited-state branch of the reaction coordinate from the ground state branch. In contrast, structure II is a conventional biradical intermediate for the triplet reaction. 

If triplet stilbene were formed in this way, analysis of the product ratio of steroisomers should indicate a 60 40 ratio. In fact, however, the stilbene produced was found to be about 99% trans although the reaction is about 50 kcal exothermic, enough energy to produce the triplet stilbene conceitedly. Thus it appears that the triplet cleavage prefers to go through a biradical intermediate even when a concerted process is energetically possible.<91>... 

In Chapter 3 we discussed two photochemical reactions characteristic of simple carbonyl compounds, namely type II cleavage and photoreduction. We saw that photoreduction appears to arise only from carbonyl triplet states, whereas type II cleavage often arises from both the excited singlet and triplet states. Each process was found to occur from discrete biradical intermediates. In this chapter we will discuss two other reactions observed in the photochemistry of carbonyls, type I cleavage and oxetane formation. 

All of the elements of stereo- and regioselectivity and reactivity that theory must explain are found in the above reactions. The triplet excited states of the aryl carbonyl compounds demonstrate regioselectivity that has been previously explained on the basis of the relative stabilities of the two possible biradical intermediates, 1 and 2. 65>66> The selectivity... 

Qualitatively, the interaction diagram would closely resemble that in Fig. 3, since electron-donating substituents in both addends would raise the molecular levels of both the carbonyl compound and the olefin. Only the energy gap, E(n)-> F(n), would increase, the net result being that the calculated ratio of concerted to biradical reaction, Eqs. 40 and 41, should be even closer to unity than in the formaldehyde-ethylene case. Detailed calculations 38> support this conclusion, so PMO theory predicts that the overall stereochemical results are due to a combination of concerted (singlet) and biradical (triplet) mechanisms. This explanation agrees with the experimental facts, and it bypasses the necessity to postulate differential rates of rotation and closure for different kinds of biradical intermediates. 

This photoreaction has been investigated by laser flash photolysis58 and quantum yield measurements that identify the triplet state (r = 6 nanoseconds) as the reactive species, and show intermediate 82 is sensitive to hydroxylic molecules, but the logical precursor biradical intermediate 81 could not be detected owing to a short lifetime (equation 48). 

Ultraviolet irradiation of oxadiazoline (38d) at 333.6 nm (or irradiation using benzophenone as a triplet sensitiser) gave 2-diazopropane and methyl acetate. A triplet biradical intermediate formed by cleavage of the C(OMe)—N bond was postulated <90TL863>. Oxadiazolinone (42) underwent nucleophilic attack at the carbonyl group by methyllithium to give acetate (41) after treatment of the product with acetyl chloride <89CJC1753>. 

Interest in the aza-Bergman reaction and the influence of protonation on 2,5-pyridyne and its derivatives was (once more) directly stimulated by the search for less toxic antimmor drugs. One approach to increase the selectivity is to decrease the reactivity of the biradical intermediate in hydrogen-abstraction reactions.In this regard, Chen has established a simple model that correlates the reactivity of singlet biradicals with their singlet-triplet gap This model is based on the assumption that the reactivity of the triplet biradical is... 

A related phenomenon has been observed in the benzophenone sensitized isomerization of c/y-piperylene.150 The measured quantum yield of cis to trans isomerization increased from 0.55 to 0.90 as the concentration of piperylene increased from 0.08 to lOAf. This observation can be rationalized as arising from addition of the piperylene triplet to a ground state diene molecule to give a biradical intermediate which can either cyclize to the dimer151 or dissociate to give two molecules of the more thermodynamically stable trans-isomer. This mechanism predicts that the quantum yield for the isomerization of /runs-piperylene to cw-piperylene should decrease with increasing diene concentration, an experiment that has not yet been reported. 

The photochemical decomposition of bicyclic azo compound 43 gave the results shown in Table VII.199 200 The dependence of product composition on the stereochemistry of the starting azo compound, which was observed in direct photolysis, is removed by benzophenone or triphenylene sensitization since the intermediate triplet biradical undergoes randomization of stereo-... 

Conjugated dienes take part readily in triplet-sensitized photodimerization. and the products obtained from buta-1.3-diene (2.691 include a (4 + 2) adduct as well as slereoisomeric (2 + 2) adducts. The reaction is non-concerted. and a rationalization for the products is provided on the basisof the formation of a biradical intermediate as shown (which is the most stable of the three possible biradicals that might be formed in the first step), by the attack of triplet diene on ground-state diene. Cross-addition takes place in some systems, such as myrcene (2.70) where a triplet diene group attacks the alkene within the same molecule direct irradiation of myrcene gives mainly... 

When polymerizable vinyl compounds are added to this system, radical polymerization is induced by intermediate radicals instead of producing the 1 1 adduct. This mechanism indicates that the CT interaction does not always produce a polarized or ionic intermediate but also facilitates the formation of a biradical or triplet state. 

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