Laser flash photolysis hydrogen abstraction

The results and discussion section is divided into two parts. The first part deals with direct laser flash photolysis of the MDI-PUE polymer and appropriate small molecule models. The transient spectra generated by direct excitation of the polyurethane are interpreted by consideration of the primary photochemical reactions of the carbamate moiety. The second part describes results obtained by production of a radical transient species which is capable of abstracting labile hydrogens from the polyurethane. This latter procedure represents an alternative method for production of the transient species which were obtained by direct excitation. 

Future work will be concerned with quantitative measurement of hydrogen abstraction rates of labile hydrogens in the carbamate moieties of several aromatic diisocyanate based polyurethanes. It is expected that experimental conditions will alter significantly the hydrogen abstraction rate. Emphasis will also be placed on measurement of transient intermediates in polyurethane films. Finally, extensive laser flash photolysis experiments will be conducted on polyurethanes based on both 2,A-toluenediisocyanate and 2,6-toluenediisocyanate. Preliminary data suggest that the placement of the methyl substituent can alter the nature of the transient intermediates formed. 

Cyclohexyl xanthate has been used as a model compound for mechanistic studies [43]. From laser flash photolysis experiments the absolute rate constant of the reaction with (TMS)3Si has been measured (see Table 4.3). From a competition experiment between cyclohexyl xanthate and -octyl bromide, xanthate was ca 2 times more reactive than the primary alkyl bromide instead of ca 50 as expected from the rate constants reported in Tables 4.1 and 4.3. This result suggests that the addition of silyl radical to thiocarbonyl moiety is reversible. The mechanism of xanthate reduction is depicted in Scheme 4.3 (TMS)3Si radicals, initially generated by small amounts of AIBN, attack the thiocarbonyl moiety to form in a reversible manner a radical intermediate that undergoes (3-scission to form alkyl radicals. Hydrogen abstraction from the silane gives the alkane and (TMS)3Si radical, thus completing the cycle of this chain reaction. 

Banerjee, A. and Falvey, D.E. (1998) Direct photolysis of phenacyl protecting groups studied by laser flash photolysis an excited state hydrogen atom abstraction pathway leads to formation of carboxylic acids and acetophenone. Journal of the... 

Free radical promoted, cationic polymerization also occurs upon irradiation of pyridinium salts in the presence of acylphosphine oxides. But phosphonyl radicals formed are not oxidized even by much stronger oxidants such as iodonium ions as was demonstrated by laser flash photolysis studies [51, 52]. The electron donor radical generating process involves either hydrogen abstraction or the addition of phosphorus centered or benzoyl radicals to vinyl ether monomers [53]. Typical reactions for the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of butyl vinyl ether by using acylphosphine oxide-pyridinium salt combination are shown in Scheme 10. 

Laser flash photolysis of [CpM(CO>3]2 (M = W, Mb, and Cr) provides a convenient source of CpM(CO)3, an organometallic free radical with 17 valence electrons. It is a transient and highly reactive species. Depending on the circumstances and the other reagents present, the radical will dimerize, undergo halogen and hydrogen atom abstraction reactions, and electron transfer reactions. With tetramethyl-phenylenediamine, there is a cyclic process of electron transfer steps, the net result of which is the catalyzed disproportionation of the metal radical. 

Triplet diphenylcarbene, detected spectroscopically on excimer laser flash photolysis of diphenyldiazomethane, readily abstracts hydrogen from cyclohexane to give the CHPh2 radical.Analogous hydrogen abstraction also occurs from alcohols but at low temperatures and in a polycrystalline matrix in contrast to reaction in solution in which O-H bond insertion is preferred. In a similar fashion, irradiation of diphenyldiazomethane in polycrystalline (S)-butan-2-ol at — gave amongst other products an enantiomerically pure... 

The use of supercritical fluids as reaction media for organometallic species is also investigated. Reactions include photochemical replacement of carbon monoxide with N2 and H2 in metal carbonyls, where the reaction medium is supercritical xenon. Also, photochemical activation of C-H bonds by organometallic complexes in supercritical carbon dioxide is investigated. More recent studies on photochemical reactions also include laser flash photolysis of metal carbonyls in supercritical carbon dioxide and ethane and laser flash photolysis of hydrogen abstraction reaction of triplet benzophenone in supercritical ethane and... 

Baneijee, A., Falvey, D. E., Direct Photolysis of Phenacyl Protecting Groups Studied by Laser Flash Photolysis an Excited State Hydrogen Atom Abstraction Pathway Leads to Formation of Carboxylic Acids and Acetophenone, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 2965 2966. 

The regioselectivity of the hydrogen abstraction reaction between the photoinitiator and an amine remains an outstanding problem that is the subject of debates and discussions. A recent paper [264] based on ESR and laser flash photolysis clearly shows the presence of the aminoalkyl radical and the significant absence of any aminyl radical in primary and secondary amines such an aminyl radical is, however, readily observed in the same experimental conditions when using tetramethyl piperidine. 

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