Light-Mediated Synthesis of 2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-1-pyrroline via Intramolecular Reductive Cyclization of a Triplet Alkylnitrene.

Irradiation of p-methoxyazidobutyrophenone (1) in methanol yielded 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-pyrroline (2) and several other photoproducts. However, in the presence of tris(trimethylsilyl)silane (TTMSS), 2 is formed selectively. Transient absorption and ESR spectroscopy verify that the irradiation of 1 forms triplet alkylnitrene 31N through intramolecular energy transfer from the triplet ketone (T1K). DFT calculations indicate that 31N abstracts H atoms from TTMSS but not methanol, which explains the selectivity. Thus, triplet alkylnitrenes can undergo selective reductive cyclization via H atom abstraction from TTMSS.

Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer in Salicylidene-α-Hydroxy Carboxylate Derivatives: Direct Detection of the Triplet Excited State of the cis-Keto Tautomer.

Excited-state intramolecular hydrogen transfer on the triplet surface of salicylideneaniline derivatives has received much less attention than the corresponding ultrafast process on the singlet surface. To enhance the understanding of this triplet reactivity, the photochemical properties of a series of salicylidene-α-hydroxy acid salts with different substituents on the phenol moiety (1-3) were characterized. UV/vis absorption and phosphorescence measurements in ethanol revealed that 1-3 exist as both enol and keto tautomers, with the enol form being predominant. Irradiation of 1 at 310 nm in ethanol glass (77 K) yielded an absorption band with a λmax at ∼405 nm, which was assigned to the trans-keto tautomer (trans-1K). In contrast, laser flash photolysis of 1-3 in methanol or acetonitrile resulted in a transient absorption with λmax at 440-460 nm. This transient, which decayed on the microsecond timescale and was significantly shorter lived in methanol than in acetonitrile, was assigned to the triplet excited state (T1) of the cis-keto tautomer (cis-1K-3K) and residual absorption of trans-1K-3K by comparison with TD-DFT calculations. The assignment of the T1 of cis-1K was further supported by quenching studies with anthracene and 2,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene. Laser flash photolysis of 1 in the temperature range of 173-293 K gave an activation barrier of 6.7 kcal/mol for the decay of the T1 of cis-1K. In contrast, the calculated activation barrier for cis-1K to undergo a 1,5-H atom shift to reform 1 was smaller, indicating that intersystem crossing of the T1 of cis-1K is the rate-determining step in the regeneration of 1.

Formation of Stilbene Azo-Dimer by Direct Irradiation of p-Azidostilbene†.

Triplet arylnitrenes may provide direct access to aryl azo-dimers, which have broad commercial applicability. Herein, the photolysis of p-azidostilbene (1) in argon-saturated methanol yielded stilbene azo-dimer (2) through the dimerization of triplet p-nitrenostilbene (3 1N). The formation of 3 1N was verified by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and absorption spectroscopy (λmax ~ 375 nm) in cryogenic 2-methyltetrahydrofuran matrices. At ambient temperature, laser flash photolysis of 1 in methanol formed 3 1N (λmax ~ 370 nm, 2.85 × 107 s-1 ). On shorter timescales, a transient absorption (λmax ~ 390 nm) that decayed with a similar rate constant (3.11 × 107 s-1 ) was assigned to a triplet excited state (T) of 1. Density functional theory calculations yielded three configurations for T of 1, with the unpaired electrons on the azido (TA ) or stilbene moiety (TTw , twisted and TFl , flat). The transient was assigned to TTw based on its calculated spectrum. CASPT2 calculations gave a singlet-triplet energy gap of 16.6 kcal mol-1 for 1 N; thus, intersystem crossing of 1 1N to 3 1N is unlikely at ambient temperature, supporting the formation of 3 1N from T of 1. Thus, sustainable synthetic methods for aryl azo-dimers can be developed using the visible-light irradiation of aryl azides to form triplet arylnitrenes.