Intramolecular Photoredox Reaction Mechanism of Naphthoquinone Compounds: Combined Time-Resolved Spectroscopies and DFT Calculations.

Time-resolved spectroscopies and DFT calculations were utilized to investigate the photoredox mechanisms of naphthoquinone compounds. 5-Methoxy-8-tetrahydropyrane-1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) and 2-methyl-3-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl) 1,4-naphthoquinone (MNQ) were excited to singlet excited species (labeled NQ(S1) and MNQ(S1), respectively). NQ(S1) underwent intersystem crossing to produce a triplet NQ, which further underwent hydrogen atom transfer to form a biradical intermediate. The biradical underwent electron transfer to form a zwitterion, followed by cyclization and proton transfer to generate a photoproduct. MNQ(S1) underwent a 1,4-proton transfer process to produce a quinone methide intermediate (1,3-QM) with zwitterionic character, which tautomerized to 1,2-QM. Then, 1,2-QM underwent electrocyclization. The substituent on the parent naphthoquinone is the key factor leading to the different reaction processes for NQ and MNQ.

To photodeprotect or not: effect of the oxidation state of the sulfur atom of thiochromone derivatives.

Time-resolved spectroscopic experiments, assisted with DFT calculations, were employed to study the photochemical reaction mechanism of (4-oxo-3-phenyl-4H-thiochromen-2-yl) methoxycarbonyl-caged ethanol (TC) and (1,1-dioxido-4-oxo-3-phenyl-4H-thiochromen-2-yl) methoxy carbonyl-caged ethanol (TS-PPG) in different solvents. TC went through an intersystem crossing to form the triplet state with π-π* character in acetonitrile (MeCN) and protic solvents. While the n-π* triplet state was generated for TS-PPG in MeCN, which further underwent Paternò-Büchi reaction to give a biradical intermediate. Then, the C-O bond was cleaved, followed by deprotonation. Besides the similar deprotection route in MeCN, another reaction pathway existed in protic solvents, where the C-O bond heterolysis took place via the singlet excited state. The unambiguous mechanism would not only guide the efficient application of TS-PPG, but also help develop more excellent PPGs based on the thiochromone framework.

Photodeprotection Reaction Mechanisms of Caged Species Utilizing a Photochromism Function.

Acetoxy-1,2,2-tri(aryl)ethanone (1) is a novel and visual release-and-report system that contains the photochromic diarylethylene function attached to the photocage dimethoxybenzoin platform. However, the mechanism of 1 cyclization and a subsequent deprotection remains unclear. Here, we use femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopies in combination with density functional theory computations to study the detailed reaction mechanism. The photodeprotection proceeds with competition between pathways initiated by two different configurations of the singlet excited state of 1 (labeled as 11LE and 11CT); the stepwise elimination after cyclization of 11LE constitutes the predominant pathway, whereas the concerted removal of acetic acid after cyclization of 11CT is the minor pathway. These results contribute to a detailed photodeprotection mechanism of 1 and provide new insights into the effect of geometric configurations of intermediates on the photodeprotection pathways. This new information can help in the further development of this type of the photolabile protecting group (PPG) for the protection of biorelevant molecules and in the design of an improved and versatile release-and-report PPG.

Unusual Acetonitrile Adduct Formed via Photolysis of 4'-Chloro-2-Hydroxybiphenyl in Aqueous Solution.

In this work, 2,4'-dichlorobiphenyl (1) yielded 4'-chloro-2-hydroxybiphenyl (2) after photolysis in neutral acetonitrile aqueous (ACN-H2O) solutions. Ultrafast spectroscopic measurements and density functional theory (DFT) computations were performed for 2 in ACN and ACN-H2O (v/v, 1:1). These results were compared with previously published results for 2-hydroxybiphenyl (3). The counterparts 2 and 3 went through a singlet excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in ACN but behaved differently in ACN-H2O with a dehydrochlorination process occurring for 2 and an ESIPT taking place for 3. Computational results indicate that the phenol O-H bond elongates after photoexcitation to induce a concerted asynchronous process with the C-Cl bond increasing first followed by HCl elimination. A biradical intermediate (IM1) is then formed with some spin located at the phenyl 4'-C radical that appears to favor a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process and some spin located on phenoxyl that appears to prefer a subsequent •CH2CN radical rebound. The hydrogen bond promotes HCl elimination, while this is disfavored for ESIPT, making 4'-Cl extrusion the predominant process in ACN-H2O solutions. The mechanistic investigations have fundamental and significant implications for the understanding of polychlorinated biphenyl photolysis in an aqueous environment and hence the photodegradation of these kinds of pollutants in the natural environment.

Golf ball-like particles fabricated by nonsolvent/solvent-induced phase separation method.

Monodisperse poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (P(S-co-AA)) particles having a "golf ball-like" shape were prepared by nonsolvent/solvent-induced phase separation process. The method is simple and easy operation. The nonsolvent/solvent phase was mixture of butanol, n-heptane and toluene. The dimpled surface comes from the aggregation of oil droplets on the surface of polymer spheres. The dimple's morphology can be controlled by the polymer templates, dispersion medium, reaction time, and temperature. Reverse Pickering emulsion model was suggested for the formation of golf ball-like particles.