Photo-Fries solvent effect

If the photo-Fries reaction would occur via a concerted mechanism, the absence of solvent should be of minor importance for the formation of rearranged products. However, conclusive evidence supporting the radical pair mechanism arises from the experiments carried out with phenyl acetate (10) in the vapor phase. The major product in the irradiations of 10 is phenol (13), which accounts for 65% of the photoproducts. Under these conditions, less than 1% of ortho -hydroxyace-tophenone (11) appears to be formed [19,20]. Conversely, when a high cage effect is expected, as in rigid matrixes (i.e., polyethylene), the result is completely different, and phenol is practically absent from the reaction mixtures [29]. In the intermediate situation (liquid solution), both rearranged products and phenol are formed in variable amounts depending on solvent properties. These observations... 

Equation 6 indicates that the solvent strength, 6, is pressure-dependent, providing a potential route to improved selectivity and rate by "pressure-tuning the solvent. A number of attempts to demonstrate reactivity control in su rcritical CO2 for Diels-Alder (75-77) and organic photoreactions (78,79) have exhibited very small effects. Andrew and coworkers have recently demonstrated dramatic solvent cage effects on selectivity of a photo-Fries reaction close to the critical density.(80) More polar SCF s have shown more promising results control of esterification rates and polyester molecular weight distribution via enzymatic catalysis in fluoroform has been demonstrated. (81,82)... 

Fries rearrangement, review. Martin2 has reviewed the rearrangement of aryl esters to o- and p-hydroxyaryl ketones, usually effected with AICI3. The rearrangement can occur at room temperatures in polar solvents (nitroalkanes). Photo-induced rearrangement usually provides the same products as obtained by Lewis acid induced rearrangement. The review lists 281 references to literature mainly from 1964 to 1990. 

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