Mechanistic studies of photohydration of m-hydroxy-1,1-diaryl alkenes

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G Cole ◽  
Peter Wan

The photohydration of a variety of m-hydroxy-1,1-diaryl alkenes (8–10) and related systems (11 and 12) has been studied in aqueous CH3CN solution. All of these alkenes photohydrate efficiently in 1:1 H2O–CH3CN, to give the corresponding 1,1-diarylethanol (Markovnikov addition) products with high chemical and quantum yields. The aim of this study was to further probe the mechanism of photohydration reported for the parent m-hydroxy-α-phenylstyrene (5), which has been proposed as consisting of a water trimer-mediated excited state (formal) intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) from the phenolic proton to the β-carbon of the alkene moiety to give an observable (by laser flash photolysis (LFP)) m-quinone methide intermediate 6. For this purpose, derivatives of 5 with substituents (methyl or methoxy) on the α-phenyl ring as well as related model compounds were explored. Product studies, quantum yields, fluorescence, and nanosecond laser flash data are reported that are consistent with two distinct mechanisms for photohydration of these compounds: one involving water-mediated ESIPT (8, 9), as observed for the parent compound 5, and one involving direct protonation of the β-carbon by solvent water (11 and 12), with compound 10 possibly operating via both mechanisms.Key words: photohydration, solvent-assisted excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), m-quinone methide, diarylmethyl carbocation.

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikola Basarić ◽  
Nikola Cindro ◽  
Yunyan Hou ◽  
Ivana Žabčić ◽  
Kata Mlinarić-Majerski ◽  
...  

2-Phenylphenol derivatives strategically substituted with a hydroxyadamantyl substituent were synthesized and their photochemical reactivity was investigated. Derivatives 9 and 10 undergo competitive excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) from the phenol to the carbon atom of the adjacent phenyl ring and formal ESPT from the phenol to the hydroxyl group coupled with dehydration. These two processes (both via S1) give rise to two classes of quinone methides (QMs) that revert to starting material or react with nucleophiles, respectively. ESIPT to carbon atoms was studied by performing photolyses in the presence of D2O, whereupon deuterium incorporation to the adjacent phenyl ring was observed ([Formula: see text] = 0.1–0.2). The competing formal ESPT and dehydration takes place with quantum yields that are an order of magnitude lower and was studied by isolation of photomethanolysis products. Derivative 8 did not undergo ESIPT to carbon atom. Owing to the presence of an intramolecular H bond, an efficient ESIPT from the phenol to the hydroxyl group coupled with dehydration gives a QM that efficiently undergoes electrocyclization (overall [Formula: see text] = 0.33), to give chroman 16. In addition, spiro[adamantane-2,9′-(4′-hydroxy)fluorene] (12) undergoes ESIPT, unlike the previously reported unreactive parent 2-hydroxyfluorene. The reactive singlet excited states of the prepared biphenyl and fluorene molecules were characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy, whereas laser flash photolysis (LFP) was performed to characterize the longer lived QM intermediates.


2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Lukeman ◽  
Duane Veale ◽  
Peter Wan ◽  
V Ranjit N. Munasinghe ◽  
John ET Corrie

The photochemistry of naphthols 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9, and phenol 10 has been studied in aqueous solution with the primary aim of exploring the viability of such compounds for naphthoquinone and quinone methide photogeneration, along the lines already demonstrated by our group for phenol derivatives. 1-Naphthol (1) is known to be substantially more acidic than 2-naphthol (2) in the singlet excited state (pKa* = 0.4 and 2.8, respectively) and it was expected that this difference in excited-state acidity might be manifested in higher reactivity of 1-naphthol derivatives for photochemical reactions requiring excited-state naphtholate ions, such as quinone methide formation. Our results show that three types of naphthoquinone methides (26a, 26b, and 27) are readily photogenerated in aqueous solution by irradiation of 1-naphthols. Photolysis of the parent 1-naphthol (1) in neutral aqueous solution gave 1,5-naphthoquinone methide 26a as well as the non-Kekulé 1,8-naphthoquinone methide 26b, both via the process of excited-state (formal) intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), based on the observation of deuterium exchange at the 5- and 8-positions, respectively, on photolysis in D2O–CH3CN. A transient assignable to the 1,5-naphthoquinone methide 26a was observed in laser flash photolysis experiments. The isomeric 2-naphthol (2) was unreactive under similar conditions. The more conjugated 1,5-naphthoquinone methide 27 was formed efficiently via photodehydroxylation of 4; isomeric 5 was unreactive. The efficient photosolvolytic reaction observed for 4 opens the way to design related naphthol systems for application as photoreleasable protecting groups by virtue of the long-wavelength absorption of the naphthalene chromophore.Key words: photosolvolysis, excited-state intramolecular proton transfer, quinone methide, photorelease, photoprotonation.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 967-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Minto ◽  
A. Samanta ◽  
P.K. Das

1-Thiobenzoylnaphthalene (TBN), known for its pericyclization reaction from the lowest excited singlet state (S1), has been subjected to nanosecond and picosecond laser flash photolysis studies. The two major transients observed in the course of nanosecond laser pulse excitation are (i) the short-lived triplet characterized by two absorption maxima (400–410 and 740–750 nm) and submicrosecond intrinsic lifetimes (80–130 ns) and (ii) a relatively long-lived species (λmax = 520 nm and τ = 220–240 ns). Various triplet-related photophysical data of TBN, including self-quenching and bimolecular quenching rate constants, have been determined. The existence of a photochemical path from S1 manifests itself in low intersystem crossing quantum yields, particularly in the polar/hydrogen-bonding solvent, methanol. From the build-up of the triplet under picosecond excitation into S1 the lifetime of the latter is estimated to be ≤ 50 ps (in benzene). The fast intrinsic decay of TBN triplet is attributable to facile intra- and intermolecular photochemistry. The 520 nm transient species could not be definitively assigned, except that it is neither a triplet nor a triplet-derived product and that it arises via photochemistry from S1. Keywords: laser flash photolysis, triplet, transients, absorption maxima, lifetimes, quenching rate constants, photochemistry, 1-thiobenzoylnaphthalenes.


2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 709-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Roberts ◽  
J A Pincock

The photochemistry of the title compound 1 in methanol and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol has been examined. In both solvents two ether products were obtained: one (18) resulting from trapping of the carbocation 2 (expected from photosolvolysis of 1), and the other (19) from the carbocation 3 (expected after rearrangement by hydride migration of cation 2). The substituted trans- and cis-stilbene derivatives 20 and 21 were also primary photoproducts. Analysis of product yields as a function of time revealed that the ether product 19 was formed by secondary photolysis of the stilbene derivatives, presumably by a pathway involving excited state protonation. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis results demonstrated that substituted trans-stilbene 20 was produced on the same time scale as the laser pulse.Key words: ester photochemistry, stilbene photoadditions, carbocation rearrangements.


1996 ◽  
Vol 35 (26) ◽  
pp. 7769-7775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas K. Schoch ◽  
Andrea D. Main ◽  
Richard D. Burton ◽  
Lucian A. Lucia ◽  
Edward A. Robinson ◽  
...  

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