Tetrafluoro-o-phenylene

We have also attempted to study the reactions of the tetrafluoro-o-phenylene di-radical (32) with benzene, by carrying out the photolysis of 1,2-di-iodotetrafluorobenzene in the presence of benzene. It is known that 1,2-di-iodoarenes give arynes on photolysis 70-72>. The only product derived immediately from o-dehydrotetrafluorobenzene was the 1,4-cyclo-adduct (24) which was, as expected, partially photoisomerised to (27) and a trace of (26) 73>. The photolysis resulted in the appearance of (24) and (27) before (26) was detected and hence we conclude that (26) was not a primary product. 

It is unlikely that the compound (27) is derived directly from the reaction of an excited benzene with tetrafluorobenzyne even though the compound (27) is formally analogous to the photo-adducts formed by the irradiation of olefins in benzene 74,75) A number of other products derived from the o-iodotetrafluorophenyl radical were also obtained 73>. These results suggest either that the tetrafluoro-o-phenylene di-radical (32) is identical with tetrafluorobenzyne or that if it is produced at a higher energy level it returns rapidly to the groundstate before it reacts with benzene. An alternative and perhaps more likely explanation is that the tetrafluorobenzyne formed arises by the concerted loss of both iodine atoms. 

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