Mechanism of heminal recombination of ketyl and aminyl radicals in solid poly(methyl methacrylate)

Abstract

The mechanism of formation and recombination of radical pairs upon photoreduction of benzophenone by diphenylamine in solid poly(methyl methacrylate) has been studied. By analyzing the concentration dependences of the yield of recombination products (triarylmethane dye or triarylcarbinol), it has been found that the reaction occurs only in relatively large local sites with an effective radius of ∼1.4 nm. In contrast, the quenching of ketone phosphorescence by amine, resulting in the generation of primary radical pairs, is carried out in nearly every molecular site with an approximate radius of 1.0 nm containing the initial reagents. In films prepared from chlorinated solvents, the degradation of poly(methyl methacrylate) accompanied by the formation of end macroradicals and dehydrochlorination are important side processes. These processes are mainly responsible for significant long-term photochemical posteffect. The absence of marked magnetic effects indicates that the molecular dynamics of reacting particles and their local environment, rather than spin dynamics, controls the evolution of radical pairs.