Quantum yield ketones

A simple aliphatic ketone such as acetone, when promoted to its n,n excited state, undergoes a single unimolecular photochemical reaction in high quantum yield namely a-cleavage giving a methyl and acetyl radical which react further in secondary dark processes. In general, competition... 

The thermal reversal of the photochemical a-cleavage, i.e., the direct recombination of the resulting radical pair or diradical, can be recognized as such only when at least one of the a-atoms is chiral and is epimerized in the process. In fact, the frequently rather low quantum yields observed in the phototransformations of nonconjugated steroidal ketones may be largely due to the reversal of a-cleavage. 

The fragmentation/cyclization ratio is determined by the relative orientation of the respective molecular orbitals, and thus by the conformation of diradical species 2. The quantum yield with respect to formation of the above products is generally low the photochemically initiated 1,5-hydrogen shift from the y-carbon to the carbonyl oxygen is a reversible process, and may as well proceed back to the starting material. This has been shown to be the case with optically active ketones 7, containing a chiral y-carbon center an optically active ketone 7 racemizes upon irradiation to a mixture of 7 and 9 ... 

It is important to point out at this point that the rate constant k and the quantum yield for a photochemical reaction are not fundamentally related. Since the quantum yield depends upon relative rates, the reactivity may be very high (large kr), but if other processes are competing with larger rates, the quantum yield efficiency of the reaction will be very small. That there is no direct correlation between the quantum yield and the rate is clearly seen from the data in Table 1.2 for the photoreduction of some substituted aromatic ketones in isopropanol ... 

The photoreduction of cyclobutanone, cyclopentanone, and cyclohexanone by tri-n-butyl tin hydride was reported by Turro and McDaniel.<83c> Quantum yields for the formation of the corresponding alcohols were 0.01, 0.31, and 0.82, respectively. Although the results for cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone quenching were not clear-cut (deviations from linearity of the Stem-Volmer plots were noted at quencher concentrations >0.6 M), all three ketone photoreductions were quenched by 1,3-pentadiene, again indicating that triplets are involved in the photoreduction. 

Quantum yield for the disappearance of ketone. c Calculated assuming kq = 5 x 10 M 1 sec-1 in benzene solution. 

Table 4.3. Quantum Yields of the Primary Processes in the Photolysis of Alkyl-t-butyl Ketones ...

Ddla, quantum yield for disappearance of ketone j, quantum yields for type I cleavage n, u, quantum yields for type II cleavage cb. cb> quantum yields for cydobutane formation. 

The photodecarbonylation of a series of dibenzyl ketones was studied by Robbins and Eastman/63 The results of this study are presented in Table 4.5. The data in Table 4.5 indicate that the presence of a p-methyl or a p-methoxy group has little effect on the quantum yield for this reaction. p-Cyano groups, on the other hand, essentially totally eliminated the decarbonylation. Since the reaction could also be quenched (inefficiently) by benzonitrile or biphenyl, it was concluded that the decarbonylation occurs from a short-lived triplet state. The effect of the p-cyano groups then could result from internal triplet quenching. 

When Hammond and co-workers(59) found that the intersystem crossing quantum yield for aromatic ketones was unity (see Chapter 3) it was a short but very important step to realize that these compounds should be ideal triplet sensitizers. Thus one can excite the triplet state of molecules that otherwise would be formed inefficiently, if at all, by intersystem crossing. This idea resulted in a number of papers in the early 1960 s from the Hammond group on this topic. It is not possible in this short section to survey this area, but a few of the early studies are indicated by the following reactions ... 

Table 4.6. The Effect of Solvent Viscosity on the Symmetrical and Unsymmetrical Product Quantum Yields for the Photolysis of p-Methoxydibenzyl Ketone...

Frequently B will also undergo a back hydrogen transfer which regenerates the parent ketone, as well as cyclization (in most cases a minor reaction) as a result of this competition the quantum yields of fragmentation are typically in the 0.1-0.5 range in non-polar media. When the Norrish Type II process takes place in a polymer it can result in the cleavage of the polymer backbone. Poly(phenyl vinyl ketone) has frequently been used as a model polymer in which this reaction is resonsible for its photodegradation, reaction 2. 

Numerous autoxidation reactions of aliphatic and araliphatic hydrocarbons, ketones, and esters have been found to be accompanied by chemiluminescence (for reviews see D, p. 19 14>) generally of low intensity and quantum yield. This weak chemiluminescence can be measured by means of modern equipment, especially when fluorescers are used to transform the electronic excitation energy of the triplet carbonyl compounds formed as primary reaction products. It is therefore possible to use it for analytical purposes 35>, e.g. to measure the efficiency of inhibitors as well as initiators in autoxidation of polymer hydrocarbons 14), and in mechanistic studies of radical chain reactions. 

The quantum yield is defined here as the ratio of photons emitted to the number of initiator molecules one molecule of DCPD yields 2 radicals which in turn produce one molecule of ketone in the recombination reaction. 

The quantum yields are about 10 4 with the aldehydes and 10 3 with the ketones 93 and 94. The respective acridones were found to be the emitters when potassium hydroxide was used as base in the oxidation of 92 and 95 and t-butoxide, in the oxidation of the ketones 93 and 94. 

The quantum yields for oxetane formation have not been determined in every case, and only a few relative rate constants are known. The reactivities of singlet and triplet states of alkyl ketones are very nearly equal in attack on electron rich olefins. 72> However, acetone singlets are about an order of magnitude more reactive in nucleophilic attack on electron-deficient olefins. 61 > Oxetane formation is competitive with a-cleavage, hydrogen abstraction and energy-transfer reactions 60 64> so the absolute rates must be reasonably high. Aryl aldehydes and ketones add to olefins with lower quantum yields, 66> and 3n-n states are particularly unreactive. 76>... 

Many aromatic aldehydes and ketones (e.g. benzophenone, anthrone, 1- and 2-naphthaldehyde) have a low-lying n-n excited state and thus exhibit low fluorescence quantum yields, as explained above. The dominant de-excitation pathway is intersystem crossing (whose efficiency has been found to be close to 1 for benzophenone). 

Although both aliphatic and aromatic ketones have been studied, the aromatic ketones are more useful in commercial practice, since their absorptions occur at longer wavelength (lower energy) and their quantum yields are higher [Ledwith, 1977 Pappas, 1988]. Ketones and their derivatives undergo homolysis by one or both (often simultaneously) of two processes a-scission and electron transfer [Padon and Scranton, 1999]. a-Scission involves... 

Dialkyl ketones can undergo radiative deactivation (fluorescence) from the singlet in solution. For example, the quantum yield of fluorescence of acetone at 25°C is 0.01.30 However, the addition of maleic anhydride quenches this fluorescence, and the photocycloaddition product is obtained. Thus, it appears that, in this case, the photocycloaddition reaction can compete with fluorescence for the n,n singlet.32 Such is not the case with ordinary olefins. For example, the fluorescence of acetone was completely unaffected by the addition of 2-pentene,30 and the photocycloaddition reaction is inefficient.32... 

The results in Table V support this ground state electron distribution effect. The data in italics show that the relative quantum yields are CN < Cl < CH3 with respect to the electron-donating substituent X, and CN > Cl > CH3 with respect to electron-withdrawing substituent Y. Unfortunately, the different quantities in which the quantum yields are expressed and the different reaction media do not allow a direct comparison of the results. Kobsa s data29 on ortAo-hydroxyphenyl ketone formation in the first column can be correlated with Hammett s a constants (Eq. 1, the fraction is proportional to the quantum yield). 

The photorearrangement of 7V-aryl lactams 34 to the ortho-position offers an interesting possibility for the preparation of cyclic benzo-aza-ketones of type 35, whereas the rearrangement to the para-position should lead to para-cyclophane 144 formation. 7-, 8-, and 13-Membered ring jV-aryl lactams (34, n = 5, 6, and 11) were successfully rearranged in ethanol to 35 in chemical yields of 60, 83, and 80%,13 and in quantum yields of 0.071, 0.11, and 0.082, respectively.14... 

All the olefins involved in these studies are simple olefins to which energy transfer from ketones should be endothermic. Although the details of the mechanism of isomerization are still a matter of some debate,5,71 it is generally agreed that isomerization takes place by addition of the sensitizer to the olefin to form a new intermediate which may be of a biradical nature. Thus if energy transfer is not favored, there is another mechanism by which ketone sensitizers can induce olefin isomerization, and the observed quantum yields and photostationary states may differ sharply from those predicted by the energy transfer mechanism. 

In a careful study of cyclopentenone photocycloaddition reaction, DeMayo and coworkers215 have noted that ketone sensitizers of triplet energy less than 71.2 kcal did not sensitize cycloaddition to cyclohexene. Triphenylene (Et = 66.6 kcal) and acenaphthene (ET = 59.3 kcal) were exceptional since they resulted in quantum yields of 0.10 and 0.21, respectively. This behavior, as well as the fact that 0.1 M cyclopentenone quenched acenaphthene fluorescence by 90% in an EPA (ether-isopentane-alcohol) glass at 77°K strongly implicate singlet energy transfer. 

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