Laser flash photolysis studies on radical formation by H-atom abstraction of triplet vitamin K3 and by H-atom transfer via the triplet exciplex between triplet methyldihydroxynaphthalene and benzophenone

Abstract

Nanosecond laser photolysis techniques were incorporated to obtain (1) the absorption spectra and coefficients of triplet vitamin K3 (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, MNQ) and its ketyl radical (2-methylnaphthosemiquinone, 2MNQH*) in acetonitrile (ACN) as well as to reveal (2) the mechanisms for hydrogen atom abstraction of triplet MNQ (3MNQ*) from phenol which proceeded in a diffusion process with an efficiency of unity. On the other hand, the hydroxymethylnaphthoxy radical was produced with the benzophenone ketyl radical (BPK) by the hydrogen atom transfer from triplet 2-methyl-1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene (MDHNp) sensitized by triplet benzophenone to benzophenone (BP) via the triplet exciplex. The question to be addressed was, which was produced in the MDHNp-BP system, the 2-methyl or 3-methylnaphthosemiquinone radical? Comparing the absorption spectrum and coefficient of the radical produced via the triplet exciplex with those of the 2MNQH* obtained by H-atom abstraction of 3MNQ*, the radical formed with BPK was revealed to be 2MNQH*. The reasons for the preferable formation of 2MNQH* are discussed for H-atom abstraction as well as the transfer reactions.