Photochemistry of sulfilimine-based nitrene precursors: Generation of both singlet and triplet benzoylnitrene

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo071049r

(Graph Presented) Photolysis of N-benzoyl-S,S-diphenylsulfilimine or N-benzoyl dibenzothiophene sulfilimine produces PhNCO and also benzoylnitrene. Direct observation of the triplet nitrene, energetic differences between the singlet and triplet state of the nitrene, and oxygen quenching experiments suggest that the triplet nitrene derives from the triplet excited state of the sulfilimine precursors, rather than through equilibration of nearby singlet and triplet states of the nitrene itself. In acetonitrile, the formation of an ylide, followed by cyclization to the corresponding oxadiazole, is the predominant nitrene chemistry, occurring on the time scale of a few microseconds and few tens of microseconds, respectively. Trapping experiments with substrates such as cis-4-octene suggest that reactivity of the nitrene is mainly through the singlet channel, despite a fairly small energy gap between the singlet ground state and the triplet.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/jo071049r

Photochemistry of Sulfilimine-Based Nitrene Precursors:
Generation of Both Singlet and Triplet Benzoylnitrene
Vasumathi Desikan,† Yonglin Liu,‡ John P. Toscano,*,‡ and William S. Jenks*,†
Department of Chemistry, Iowa State UniVersity, 3760 Gilman Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011, and Department
of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins UniVersity, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
wsjenks@iastate.edu; jtoscano@jhu.edu
ReceiVed May 18, 2007
Photolysis of N-benzoyl-S,S-diphenylsulfilimine or N-benzoyl dibenzothiophene sulfilimine produces
PhNCO and also benzoylnitrene. Direct observation of the triplet nitrene, energetic differences between
the singlet and triplet state of the nitrene, and oxygen quenching experiments suggest that the triplet
nitrene derives from the triplet excited state of the sulfilimine precursors, rather than through equilibration
of nearby singlet and triplet states of the nitrene itself. In acetonitrile, the formation of an ylide, followed
by cyclization to the corresponding oxadiazole, is the predominant nitrene chemistry, occurring on the
time scale of a few microseconds and few tens of microseconds, respectively. Trapping experiments
with substrates such as cis-4-octene suggest that reactivity of the nitrene is mainly through the singlet
channel, despite a fairly small energy gap between the singlet ground state and the triplet.
Introduction
stereospecifically trapped products, indicative of singlet nitrene
reactivity.5,7
Nitrenes are reactive intermediates that display a complex
and fascinating chemistry that depends intimately on their
multiplicity, mode of formation, and environment.1-6 Although
most nitrenes have triplet ground states by substantial margins,
aroylnitrenes generated from aroylazides have been notable in
exhibiting primarily singlet reactivity.7 For example, acylnitrenes
generated from the corresponding azide precursors have led to
Theoretical calculations and matrix isolation studies on
acylnitrenes5-9 have shown that the singlet state is lower in
energy than the triplet state due to an interaction between the
carbonyl oxygen and the hypovalent nitrogen. The extra
1
3
stabilization of the singlet A′ state, relative to the triplet A′′
state, is attributed to this bonding interaction that results in a
structure that is intermediate between a nitrene and an oxazirine.
Recent computational studies on acetylnitrene using the CBS-
QB3 method predict the ground state to be a singlet with ∆ES-T
) -4.9 kcal/mol.9
† Iowa State University.
‡ Johns Hopkins University.
(1) Borden, W. T.; Gritsan, N. P.; Hadad, C. M.; Karney, W. L.; Kemnitz,
C. R.; Platz, M. S. Acc. Chem. Res. 2000, 33, 765-771.
(2) Gritsan, N. P.; Platz, M. S.; Borden, W. T. Mol. Supramol.
Photochem. 2005, 13, 235-356.
(3) Platz, M. S. Atualidades de Fisico-Quimica Organica; Latin American
Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry 1999, 4, 1-20.
(4) Platz, M. S. ReactiVe Intermediate Chemistry; Wiley: New York,
2004; pp 501-559.
(5) Gritsan, N. P.; Pritchina, E. A. MendeleeV Commun. 2001, 94-96.
(6) Autrey, T.; Schuster, G. B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 5814-
5820.
(8) Pritchina, E. A.; Gritsan, N. P.; Maltsev, A.; Bally, T.; Autrey, T.;
Liu, Y.; Wang, Y.; Toscano, J. P. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2003, 5, 1010-
1018.
(7) Sigman, M. E.; Autrey, T.; Schuster, G. B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1988,
110, 4297-4305.
(9) Liu, J.; Mandel, S.; Hadad, Christopher, M.; Platz, M. S. J. Org.
Chem. 2004, 69, 8583-8593.
10.1021/jo071049r CCC: $37.00 © 2007 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 08/09/2007
6848
J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 6848-6859

Photochemistry of Sulfilimine-Based Nitrene Precursors
Aroylazide precursors to aroylnitrenes are by far the most
investigated; however, we believed that evidence accumulated
in other investigations suggested that certain sulfilimines might
also be excellent nitrene precursors. The photochemistry of
dibenzothiophene-S-oxide (DBTO), which results in formation
of dibenzothiophene, is well-documented.10-16 Numerous ex-
periments support the formation of O(3P) as the major mech-
anism, though indirectly. (Other authors express skepticism.17,18
)
Nonetheless, use of the sulfilimine as an ylide-type photochemi-
cal precursor for nitrenes seemed attractive, particularly in light
of some early reports that had reached this conclusion based
on product analysis using sulfilimines of dimethyl sulfide and
diphenyl sulfide.19,20 The dibenzothiophene (DBT) platform was
especially attractive because its inherent chromophore might
serve as a platform for near-UV sources for a wide variety of
nitrenes: carbonyl and sulfonyl, alkyl, and the parent NH, for
example.
Herein, we report trapping studies and nanosecond-
microsecond time-resolved infrared (TRIR) investigation of the
nature of the nitrene intermediates formed from these sulfil-
imine-based precursors. Results using both diphenyl sulfide- and
dibenzothiophene-based sulfilimines 1 and 2 are reported, along
with a comparison to benzoylazide, 3. In particular, we report
the direct observation of 34, which has not been experimentally
demonstrated previously.
FIGURE 1. TRIR difference spectra (a) over 3.6 µs and (b) over 90
µs following 266 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2 mJ) of N-benzoyl-S,S-
diphenyl sulfilimine 1 (1 mM) in argon-saturated CD3CN, overlaid with
bars representing B3LYP/6-31G(d) IR frequencies (scaled by 0.96) and
relative intensities of singlet (red) and triplet (black) benzoylnitrene.
Results
in the case of benzoylazide8 and the B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculated
value (scaled by 0.96) of 1748 cm-1
.
1. Time-Resolved IR Studies. A. Direct Photolysis of 1 and
2. Upon 266 nm laser photolysis of N-benzoyl-S,S-diphenyl-
sulfilimine 1 and N-benzoyl dibenzothiophene sulfilimine 2 in
acetonitrile-d3 (CD3CN), the TRIR difference spectra shown in
Figures 1 and 2 are obtained, respectively. The relevant kinetic
traces for 2 are shown in Figures 3 and 4.21
In CD3CN, following the photolysis of either precursor
(Figures 1 and 2), singlet benzoylnitrene (14) is observed at 1758
cm-1, in good agreement with the singlet nitrene band observed
From both precursors, bands attributed to the acetonitrile-d3
ylide 5-d3 are observed at 1635 and 1330 cm-1. (This latter
band overlaps with a precursor depletion band for both sulfur-
based precursors, Figures 1 and 2.) These ylide bands are
produced at the same rate as the decay of the singlet nitrene
(Figure 3) and correspond to previous observations using
benzoylazide as the precursor.8 Over longer time scales (Figure
4), the ylide bands decay at the same rate of growth of a band
at 1485 cm-1, which we assign to oxadiazole 6-d3, in good
(10) Wan, Z.; Jenks, W. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 2667-2668.
(11) Gregory, D. D.; Wan, Z.; Jenks, W. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997,
119, 94-102.
(12) McCulla, R. D.; Jenks, W. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 16058-
16065.
(13) Nag, M.; Jenks, W. S. J. Org. Chem. 2004, 69, 8177-8182.
(14) Nag, M.; Jenks, W. S. J. Org. Chem. 2005, 70, 3458-3463.
(15) Lucien, E.; Greer, A. J. Org. Chem. 2001, 66, 4576-4579.
(16) Thomas, K. B.; Greer, A. J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 1886-1891.
(17) Kumazoea, K.; Arima, K.; Mataka, S.; Walton, D. J.; Thiemann,
T. J. Chem. Res. (S) 2003, 60-61.
agreement with the reported frequency of 1480 cm-1 22
Note
.
that the other IR band of 6 at 1580 cm-1 overlaps with a
precursor band. This peak is not observed with precursor 1, due
to the overlap with the strong 1480 cm-1 band of Ph2S.
Although no obvious bands are observed between 1520 and
1470 cm-1 in Figure 2, after careful kinetic studies of the same
range, we do detect one species with an IR band centered at
1485 cm-1 upon photolysis of 2 (Figure 3c). It has a similar
(18) Thiemann, T.; Ohira, D.; Arima, K.; Sawada, T.; Mataka, S.;
Marken, F.; Compton, R. G.; Bull, S. D.; Davies, S., G. J. Phys. Org. Chem.
2000, 13, 648-653.
(19) Fujii, T.; Kimura, T.; Furukawa, N. Tetrahedron Lett. 1995, 36,
1075-1078.
(20) Torimoto, N.; Shingaki, T.; Toshikazu, N. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn.
1978, 51, 1200-1203.
(21) Kinetic traces obtained with 1 are shown in the Supporting
Information.
(22) Yang, R.; Dai, L. J. Org. Chem. 1993, 58, 3381-3383.
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007 6849

Desikan et al.
The triplet nitrene band at 1485 cm-1 band is also observed
(Figure 5). It decays with a time constant of 1.8 × 106 s-1
.
Addition of methanol hardly shortens the lifetime of the assigned
triplet nitrene band, even at 300 mM (Figure 7b), while in the
presence of this amount of methanol, the lifetime of the singlet
nitrene has been significantly reduced (Figure 7a). However,
O2 completely suppresses the observation of the triplet nitrene
band. The most economical assumption is that O2 quenches
the triplet excited state that leads to formation of the triplet
nitrene. Potentially, O2 could also quench 12* to form 32*
because we expect a large singlet-triplet gap for this compound,
but we have no direct evidence for this. Furthermore, it is not
possible to rule out entirely the possibility that the triplet nitrene
is formed and then quenched very rapidly. Ground state triplet
arylnitrenes, however, react sluggishly with O2, with rate
constants typically near 105 M-1 s-1 26-30
loxynitrene and triplet carbenes react with O2 at rate constants
much closer to 109 M-1 s-1 31-34
which is the order of
.
In contrast, benzy-
,
magnitude required for rapid suppression of the benzoylnitrene
in these experiments. Regardless, the absence of a kinetic effect
by methanol on the triplet nitrene and the corresponding lack
of a kinetic effect of O2 on the singlet nitrene makes clear that
the two nitrene spin states are kinetically distinct and not rapidly
equilibrating.
B. Triplet-Sensitized Photolysis of Benzoylazide. In previ-
ous work, some of us have demonstrated that singlet nitrene
could be observed by IR from direct photolysis of benzoylazide.8
However, no triplet nitrene was observed. For comparison to
the data from 2, then, we examined the xanthone-sensitized
photochemistry of benzoylazide, using 355 nm laser photolysis
in dichloromethane and acetonitrile-d3. Typical TRIR spectra
are shown as Figure 8. Kinetic traces centered at 1636, 1660,
and 1475 cm-1 are also shown in Figures 9 and 10.
The spectrum in Figure 8a was recorded after 355 nm
photolysis of xanthone (5 mM) in CD3CN. After rapid inter-
system crossing, the triplet state of xanthone (3X*) decays back
to ground state with a first-order rate constant of 2.8 × 106 s-1
(Supporting Information). The spectrum in Figure 8b was
recorded after 355 nm excitation of a similar solution with 20
mM benzoylazide added. Negative xanthone IR bands at 1616
and 1660 cm-1 and positive bands centered at 1500 and 1440
cm-1 are still observed; however, the lifetime of 3X* is
significantly reduced.35 The ylide IR band at 1636 cm-1 (kgrowth
) 3.6 × 106 s-1, kdecay ) 3.7 × 104 s-1) is still observed and
may be compared to data obtained from direct photolysis of
benzoylazide (kgrowth ) 3.4 × 106 s-1 and kdecay ) 4.1 × 104
s-1).8
FIGURE 2. TRIR difference spectra averaged (a) over 3.6 µs and (b)
over 90 µs following 266 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2 mJ) of 2 (1
mM) in argon-saturated CD3CN, overlaid with bars representing
B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculated IR frequencies (scaled by 0.96) and relative
intensities of singlet (red) and triplet (black) benzoylnitrene.
lifetime (about 0.3 µs) to that of the singlet nitrene at 1758
cm-1, but this band vanishes in the presence of oxygen. Oxygen
does not shorten the lifetime of the singlet nitrene at 1758 cm-1
(Figure 3d) but does reduce the intensity of the kinetic trace.
We do not believe that this is the triplet excited state of DBT
since 266 nm laser photolysis of DBT itself does not lead to
any TRIR observable signals. Thus, this 1485 cm-1 peak is
3
assigned to triplet benzoylnitrene, 4, which has a calculated
peak at 1497 cm-1 (scaled by 0.96).23 The 1485 cm-1 peak is
not observed after photolysis of 1, due to the overlapping 1480
cm-1 absorption of Ph2S.24
On photolysis of 2 in dichloromethane, the singlet benzoylni-
trene peak at 1758 cm-1 (kobs ) 6.0 × 105 s-1, Figures 5 and
6a) is observed, along with a peak assigned to phenylisocyanate,
7, which is produced faster than the time resolution of the
instrument, ca. 50 ns. Thus, the precursor to phenylisocyanate
is not the relaxed nitrene, but rather an excited state of 2 or an
electronically or vibrationally excited nitrene. The conclusion
that PhNCO is not a product downstream from the nitrene, but
rather from an excited intermediate, has also been reached in
related systems.7,8,25 Additionally, the observed lifetimes of
singlet benzoylnitrene depend on the precursor in dichlo-
romethane solvent: about 2µs for the sulfur-based precursors 1
and 2, and about 6 µs for benzoyl azide.
(25) Hayashi, Y.; Swern, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1973, 95, 5205-5210.
(26) Brinen, J. S.; Singh, B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1971, 93, 6623-6629.
(27) Sawaki, Y.; Ishikawa, S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 584-586.
(28) Ishikawa, S.; Tsuji, S.; Sawaki, Y. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113,
4282-4288.
(29) Ishikawa, S.; Nojima, T.; Sawaki, Y. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans.
2 1996, 127-132.
(30) Harder, T.; Wessig, P.; Bendig, J.; Stoesser, R. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1999, 121, 6580-6588.
(31) Werstiuk, N. H.; Casal, H. L.; Scaiano, J. C. Can. J. Chem. 1984,
62, 2391-2392.
(32) Casal, H. L.; Sugamori, S. E.; Scaiano, J. C. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1984, 106, 7623-7624.
(33) Casal, H. L.; Tanner, M.; Werstiuk, N. H.; Scaiano, J. C. J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 1985, 107, 4616-4620.
(23) Scott, A. P.; Radom, L. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 16502-16513.
(24) Other DBT-based sulfilimines do not produce this peak on pho-
tolysis, implying it is not a band due in any way to DBT. Full data on
other systems will be published separately.
(34) Barcus, R. L.; Hadel, L. M.; Johnston, L. J.; Platz, M. S.; Savino,
T. G.; Scaiano, J. C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 108, 3928-3937.
(35) A control experiment using 20 mM benzoylazide in the absence of
any xanthone does not show any photochemistry.
6850 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007

Photochemistry of Sulfilimine-Based Nitrene Precursors
FIGURE 3. Kinetic traces observed at (a) 1758, (b) 1635, and (c) 1485 cm-1 following 266 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2 mJ) of 2 (1 mM) in
argon-saturated acetonitrile-d3 and at (d) 1758 cm-1 in oxygen-saturated CD3CN. The dotted curves are experimental data; the solid curves are the
calculated best fit to a single-exponential function.
FIGURE 4. Kinetic traces observed at (a) 1635 and (b) 1485 cm-1 following 266 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2 mJ) of 2 (1 mM) in argon-saturated
CD3CN. The dotted curves are experimental data; the solid curves are the calculated best fit to a single-exponential function.
FIGURE 5. TRIR difference spectra averaged over the time scales indicated following 266 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2 mJ) of N-benzoyl
dibenzothiophenesulfilimine 2 (1 mM) in argon-saturated dichloromethane (a) between 1800 and 1465 cm-1 and (b) an enlarged view between
1520 and 1470 cm-1, overlaid with bars representing B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculated IR frequencies (scaled by 0.96) and relative intensities of singlet
(red) and triplet (black) benzoylnitrene.
In the xanthone-sensitized experiments, the singlet benzoylni-
trene signal at 1760 cm-1 cannot be detected because it overlaps
with the residual signal from 3X*. A new IR band, which decays
at a rate of 9 × 105 s-1, appears at about 1480 cm-1. This 1480
cm-1 band is certainly not due to singlet nitrene. DFT
calculations were also performed on the triplet excited state of
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007 6851

Desikan et al.
FIGURE 6. Kinetic traces observed at (a) 1760, (b) 1488, and (c) 2265 cm-1 following 266 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2 mJ) of N-benzoyl
dibenzothiophenesulfilimine 2 (1 mM) in argon-saturated dichloromethane and at 1760 cm-1 in oxygen-saturated dichloromethane. The dotted
curves are experimental data; the solid curves are the calculated best fit to a single-exponential function.
FIGURE 7. The trapping reactions of nitrenes with methanol observed at (a) 1760 and (b) 1488 cm-1 following 266 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2
mJ) of N-benzoyl dibenzothiophenesulfilimine 2 (1 mM) in acetonitrile-d3. The dotted curves are experimental data; the solid curves are the calculated
best fit to a single-exponential function.
benzoylazide; there is not a significant IR band for triplet excited
state of azide at that frequency (Supporting Information).8 The
carrier of this IR band is very likely triplet benzoylnitrene, based
on the B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculated value of 1497 cm-1 (scaled
by 0.96).
2. Product Studies. The steady-state photolysis of 2 was
carried out under a variety of conditions, in order to correlate
products with results from the TRIR studies. Initial concentra-
tions were in the range of 2-4 mM. The results of these
experiments are shown in Table 1. Quantum yield determina-
tions were done to low conversion (e15%), but product mixtures
were determined at nearly complete decomposition of starting
material. All experiments were carried out in at least duplicate
and most in triplicate or greater. Uncertainties of 10-15% of
the stated values are reasonable estimates. This presumably
accounts for yields greater than 100%, relative to diben-
zothiophene (DBT).
In dichloromethane, the depletion band of benzoylazide
appears at 1690 cm-1 (Figure 10c, kobs ) 3.5 × 106 s-1), and
the rate of depletion is the same as the decay of the triplet excited
state of 3X* at 2265 cm-1 in Figure 9a. This band was assigned
based on data from xanthone-only controls. This is direct kinetic
3
evidence for energy transfer from X* to benzoylazide.36
It had not escaped our attention that xanthone-sensitized
experiments using 1 or 2 as the source of the nitrene were an
attractive complement to the rest of the data, and some
experiments were attempted. However, they were unfruitful, due
to technical limitations regarding the necessary concentrations
to achieve sufficient quenching, the solubility of the components,
and the extinction coefficients at the appropriate laser lines.
Measurement of loss of 2 was subject to much greater scatter
than appearance of dibenzothiophene (DBT). In a limited num-
ber of experiments, measurements of loss of 2 and appearance
of dibenzothiophene were identical within experimental error.
Thus, since formation of DBT is directly related to potential
formation of nitrene and the precision of data was much better,
the yields shown in Table 1 are relative to formation of DBT.
(36) A band appears at this frequency on direct photolysis at 266 nm,
but it does not decay on this time scale, and is assigned to PhNCO, as
discussed previously.
In order to trap the expected phenylisocyanate (7), several
photolyses were carried out in CH3OH and iPrOH, and the
6852 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007

Photochemistry of Sulfilimine-Based Nitrene Precursors
thought of as a triplet reaction), and small amounts of benzamide
were observed.
Intentional introduction of O2 was used to attempt to quench
long-lived triplet states and/or triplet nitrenes. Quantum yields
of DBT formation were moderately reduced, and the chemical
yields of isocyanate-derived products 8 were moderately
enhanced under these conditions. (Compare entries 2 and 4 to
1 and 3, respectively.)
Photolysis of 2 in neat acetonitrile provided oxadiazole 6 in
54% yield, with no other identifiable products. Addition of 10%
cyclohexane provided the C-H insertion product 11 in low
yield, while still maintaining a 52% yield of the cyclized ylide-
derived product 6 (entry 5). The yield of 11 could be increased
by raising the concentration of cyclohexane and switching from
acetonitrile to CH2Cl2 (entry 6).
The degree of retention of stereochemistry in cyclopropane
formation by carbenes or aziridine formation by nitrenes is a
standard probe for singlet versus triplet reactivity, in which
stereospecific addition is taken as an indication of singlet
reactivity.6,7,40-44 Addition of cis- or trans-4-octene to aceto-
nitrile solutions in the photolysis of 2 causes a drop in the yield
of the ylide product 6 and formation of the aziridines 12a and
12b, with full retention of stereochemistry, in 72 or 44% yield,
respectively (entries 7 and 8). These product data do not
distinguish between a direct reaction between the singlet
benzoylnitrene (14) and the alkene and the alternate possibilities
of a reaction between the ylide 5 or 2* and the alkenes. (Since
12a is formed in the absence of acetonitrile, there is not a
requirement of an acetonitrile ylide in the formation of aziri-
dines.) However, they do rule out substantial reactivity between
the triplet nitrene (34) and the alkenes. The yields of the two
aziridines differ substantially, but it should be noted that an
increased yield of 6 partially offsets the lower aziridine yield.
While the reason for the yield differential is not obvious, it is
at least consistent with the results of Autrey and Schuster, using
napthoylnitrene.6
FIGURE 8. TRIR difference spectra averaged over the time scales
indicated, following 355 nm laser photolysis (5 ns, 2 mJ) of (a) xanthone
(5 mM) and (b) benzoylazide with xanthone (20 mM/5 mM), and (c)
following 266 nm laser photolysis of benzoylazide in argon-saturated
acetonitrile-d3. 3X*: triplet excited state of xanthone, overlaid with bars
representing B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculated IR frequencies (scaled by
0.96) and relative intensities of singlet (red) and triplet (black)
benzoylnitrene.
In parallel with the TRIR experiments, steady-state photolyses
were carried out using xanthone as a sensitizer (entries 9-12).
Although triplet nitrene reactiVity cannot be assumed, these
appropriate carbamates 8a and 8b were observed in modest
yields (e.g., entries 1-4).37 The N-alkoxybenzamides 9a and
9b were taken as singlet nitrene quenching products under the
same conditions, arising from OH insertion by the nitrene.38,39
No C-H insertion products were observed in methanol or
iPrOH. However, both are good hydrogen atom donors (typically
3
1
conditions were assumed to produce 2 to the exclusion of 2
and thus produce the triplet nitrene, at least initially, on
(40) Abramovitch, R., A.; Challand, S. R.; Yamada, Y. J. Org. Chem.
1975, 40.
(41) Felt, G. R.; Lwowski, W. J. Org. Chem. 1976, 41, 96-101.
(42) Felt, G. R.; Linke, S.; Lwowski, W. Tetrahedron Lett. 1972, 2037-
(37) Semenov, V. P.; Ratner, O. B.; Ogloblin, K. A. Zh. Org. Khim.
1979, 15, 2069-2072.
(38) Eibler, E.; Sauer, J. Tetrahedron Lett. 1974, 2569-2572.
(39) Shingaki, T.; Inagaki, M.; Takebayashi, M.; Lwowski, W. Bull.
Chem. Soc. Jpn. 1972, 45, 3567-3571.
2040.
(43) McConaghy, J. S.; Lwowski, W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1967, 89, 4450-
4456.
(44) Hafner, K.; Kaiser, W.; Puttner, R. Tetrahedron Lett. 1964, 3953-
3956.
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007 6853

Desikan et al.
FIGURE 9. Kinetic traces observed at (a and b) 1636, (c) 1660, and (d) 1475 cm-1 following triplet-sensitized photolysis (355 nm, 5 ns, 2 mJ)
of benzoylazide (20 mM, A355 ) 0) using xanthone (5 mM, A355 ) 0.3) in argon-saturated acetonitrile-d3. The dotted curves are experimental data;
the solid curves are the calculated best fit to a single-exponential function.
FIGURE 10. Kinetic traces observed at (a) 2265, (b) 1660, and (c) 1690 cm-1 following triplet-sensitized photolysis (355 nm, 5 ns, 2 mJ) of
benzoylazide (5 mM, A355 ) 0) using xanthone (5 mM, A355 ) 0.3) in argon-saturated dichloromethane. The dotted curves are experimental data;
the solid curves are the calculated best fit to a single-exponential function.
dissociation. In methanol, however, the singlet-trap product 9a
was observed exclusively (entry 9). In iPrOH, presumably a
somewhat better H-atom donor, a substantial portion of ben-
zamide (10) was observed (entry 10; however, see the Discus-
sion). In a 50:50 mixture of cyclohexane and CH2Cl2, both
benzamide and the C-H insertion product 11 were observed,
consistent with at least some triplet reactivity.
Finally, to try to determine whether there might be different
photochemistry for the S1 and upper excited states of 2,
photolyses were carried out with irradiation centered at 355 and
365 nm. We believed it more important to be doing red-edged
excitation than to measure the quantum yield at the red edge,
so these wavelengths were used, with the red edge of absorbance
being at wavelengths just shorter than 350 nm (see Supporting
Information). While this meant that quantum yields could not
be measured and higher initial concentrations had to be used
(ca. 8 mM, limited by solubility), the product ratios were
reproducible and are shown in Table 1. There was a somewhat
different mix of products derived from PhNCO versus the
nitrene (compare entries 13-15 to entries 1 and 2), but there
were no new products, nor products that were excluded. This
is in contrast to benzoylazide as a precursor to benzoylnitrene,
6854 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007

Photochemistry of Sulfilimine-Based Nitrene Precursors
TABLE 1. Product Yields on Photolysis of 2
product yields (%), relative to DBT
entry
solvent
λ, nm
ΦDBT
purge
6
8a/bc
9a/bc
10
11
12a/b
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
CH3OHa
CH3OHa
iPrOHa
iPrOHa
320
320
320
320
320
320
320
320
0.49
0.36
0.83
0.56
1.0
0.72
0.76
0.81
Ar
O2
Ar
O2
Ar
Ar
Ar
Ar
Ar
Ar
Ar
Ar
Ar
O2
Ar
17
34
18
35
80
64
80
61
trace
trace
4
4
10% cyclohexane in CH3CNb
52
5
b
50% cyclohexane in CH2Cl2
71
10% cis-octene in CH3CNa
10% trans-octene in CH3CNa
CD3ODa,b
9
22
72/0d
0/44d
350 Xe
350 Xe
350 Xe
350 Xe
365
100
20
iPrOHb
43
39
5
trace
trace
trace
b
50% cyclohexane in CH2Cl2
0.65
0.67
49
6
10% cyclohexane in CH3CNb
CH3OHa
63
35
41
35
60
58
60
CH3OHa
365
355
CH3OHa
a Product yields determined by 1H NMR integration after complete conversion of starting material. b Product yields determined by GC-MS after complete
conversion of starting material. c Methyl (a) or isopropyl (b) derivatives were observed, as appropriate. d Complete retention of stereochemistry from olefin
to aziridine was observed. e Xanthone as sensitizer, ca. 4 mM.
in that the azide is thought only to produce phenylisocyanate
from an upper excited state.7
evidence has existed that the mechanism is a unimolecular
dissociation to form atomic oxygen O(3P) and the sulfide, direct
evidence is lacking, due to the paucity of spectroscopic handles
in solution for O(3P). The unambiguous direct observation of
nitrene formation from 1 and 2 is, of course, possible due to
the nitrene IR spectrum (and the UV/vis absorption, though that
is not discussed in this paper). Thus, while still indirect because
the molecules are not identical, we view this result as a yet
another indication that unimolecular dissociation of sulfoxides
to sulfides and atomic oxygen is a plausible and active
mechanism in at least some instances.
We now focus on the detailed results presented here and their
implications for the detailed dynamics for 2 and, below, for
benzoylazide. The experiments presented here regarding 2
present firm evidence for (1) intermediacy of both the singlet
and triplet nitrene, (2) a fast process, which is independent of
the relaxed singlet nitrene, that generates phenylisocyanate, and
(3) a lack of rapid equilibration of the two spin states of the
nitrene. Particularly notable is the direct observation of the triplet
nitrene.
For comparison, direct photolysis of benzoylazide in iPrOH
(compare to entry 3 of Table 1) produced 2% benzamide, 53%
8b, and 48% 9b, relative to consumed benzoylazide. Photolysis
at 350 nm of an iPrOH solution containing xanthone resulted
in benzamide as the sole identifiable product, in quantitative
yield. However, it has previously been demonstrated that, under
similar conditions (photochemically active sensitizer, alcoholic
solvents), an aroylamide is produced by a radical chain
mechanism that does not derive from triplet sensitization of an
aroylazide, but rather begins with hydrogen abstraction from
iPrOH by xanthone.7,45
Discussion
The combination of TRIR and product study results allows
several conclusions to be drawn regarding the photochemistry
of 1 and especially 2. The product studies focused on 2 for a
few reasons. First among these is that the absorption spectrum
of 2 is shifted to the red of 1. Although the presence of the
sulfilimine (or sulfoxide, as in the photochemistry of diben-
zothiophene sulfoxide) interrupts the extended aromaticity of
DBT, the comparable chromophore is a biphenyl group, rather
than isolated benzene rings, as in 1. Thus, in the long run, with
nitrenes that do not have a convenient chromophore (e.g., simple
alkylnitrenes derived from simple N-alkylsulfilimines), the
extended chromophore should be an advantage. Also, the
inherent S-N bond dissociation energy of sulfilimines derived
from DBT should be lower than those derived from diphenyl
sulfide because the product that is generated (i.e., diben-
zothiophene) gains aromaticity, in analogy to the sulfoxide
analogues.46 Finally, again appealing to the sulfoxide photo-
chemistry analogue, the photochemistry of diphenyl sulfoxide47
is known to be more complex than that of dibenzothiophene.11,48
A comment on sulfoxide deoxygenation chemistry is also in
order with the results of this paper. Although extensive indirect
The anticipated excited-state energies for 2 are worth noting,
in that they influence our interpretation of the dynamics, which
is illustrated as Scheme 1. The UV absorption spectrum above
250 nm shows a shoulder at approximately 320 nm for its low-
energy maximum (ca. 89 kcal/mol), and absorption is ended
by 350 nm (ca. 82 kcal/mol). Although the extinction coef-
ficients vary, the positions of the first two bands are similar for
2 and dibenzothiophene-S-oxide. We thus conclude that the
photochemically accessed excited state is likely centered mainly
on the DBT moiety. Acetophenone, however, does have a 1nπ*
absorption with a low extinction coefficient (<100 M-1 cm-1
)
in the same general area.49 Our present data do not distinguish
between two similar-energy excited singlet states for 2 near 85
kcal/mol and a single excited state of either mixed character or
localized on the DBT moiety.
The triplet states of 2 were not observable by phosphorescence
spectroscopy at 77 K. This was not a surprise, in that
dibenzothiophene-S-oxide phosphoresces very weakly.50 (Sul-
(45) Autrey, T.; Schuster, G. B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 5814-
5820.
(46) Jenks, W. S.; Matsunaga, N.; Gordon, M. J. Org. Chem. 1996, 61,
1275-1283.
(47) Guo, Y.; Jenks, W. S. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 857-864.
(48) Gurria, G. M.; Posner, G. H. J. Org. Chem. 1973, 38, 2419-2420.
(49) Murov, S. L.; Carmichael, I.; Hug, G. L. Handbook of Photochem-
istry, 2nd ed.; Marcel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 1993.
(50) Jenks, W. S.; Lee, W.; Shutters, D. J. Phys. Chem. 1994, 98, 2282-
2289.
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007 6855

Desikan et al.
SCHEME 1
The parent-daughter relationship between the singlet nitrene
and the ylide (5) band at 1635 cm-1 is confirmed by the growth
rate of the latter. It, in turn, shares a parent-daughter relation-
ship through kinetic measurements with oxadiazole 6, with time
constants of the order of 30 µs. Given this sequence, the
appearance and assignment of the singlet nitrene is confirmed.
Furthermore, the decay rate of the singlet nitrene in dichlo-
romethane is about 6-fold smaller than that in acetonitrile,
implying that there is an additional decay process available in
the latter solvent. From the two observed decay rates (Figures
3 and 6), we infer a rate constant for reaction between the nitrene
and acetonitrile to form the ylide of approximately 1.5 × 105
M-1 s-1
.
The collection of kinetic traces shows that there is not rapid
interconversion between the two spin states of the benzoylni-
trene, particularly the methanol quenching experiments reflected
in Figures 6 and 7. The observed decays for singlet and triplet
nitrene are similar in acetonitrile. In addition, the lack of
observation of the triplet nitrene in the presence of O2 could at
least potentially reflect quenching of 32 or 34, so these data are
ambiguous. However, the data in Figures 6 and 7 are not, in
that the singlet is quenched by methanol while the triplet is
not.
The observed products are mainly attributable to reactivity
of the singlet nitrene (and PhNCO), as opposed to the triplet
nitrene. The singlet nitrene is unambiguously involved in the
formation of adducts 8a and 8b in alcoholic solvents and in the
formation of aziridines with full retention of stereochemistry
in the presence of alkenes.
The one observed product we can most clearly attribute to
triplet chemistrysat least in the case of direct irradiationsis
benzamide, 10, which is generally observed in only small
amounts (Table 1). Previous workers have demonstrated that
excited triplet aroylazides may react with cyclohexane to give
part of the yield of benzamides observed on photolysis of
benzoylazide and its analogues.7 We cannot rule out some
analogous reaction of 32, though it seems less likely than in the
case of the aroylazides, due to the much different, and
presumably DBT-centered, excited state involved.
Given the observed lifetime of the triplet nitrene, hydrogen
abstraction by it from methanol or iPrOH would require rate
constants of the order of e105 M-1 s-1; this does not seem out
of line. Based on the lack of observation of any mixed-
stereochemistry aziridine, we must further infer that the rate
constant for reaction between triplet nitrene and the simple
alkene is <106 M-1 s-1, assuming the first step of C-N bond
formation is irreversible. This is also an expected result.7,53
Because not all the mass balances are excellent, we considered
other possible products. Gudmundsdottir has recently shown that
triplet alkylnitrenes dimerize and yield products derived from
their photolytic loss of N2 in a secondary reaction.54-56 The
illustrated expected analogue would yield benzaldehyde; no
foxidic derivatives of pyrene phosphoresce at energies very
close to that of unsubstituted pyrene. See ref 51.) Given that
any triplet nπ* state of 2 is expected to be within perhaps 10
kcal/mol of the corresponding singlet, we believe that T1 will
most resemble dibenzothiophene-S-oxide, whose triplet energy
is well-separated from its singlet (as is the case for most large
arenes) and is observed at about 60 kcal/mol, depending on the
solvent.50 These energetic considerations are reflected in Scheme
1
3
1, in which intersystem crossing from 2* to 2* is shown as
irreversible.
As previously discussed, the time scale of formation of
PhNCO (and much slower decay of the singlet nitrene) clearly
demonstrates that the nitrene is not the precursor of the
isocyanate. In work on related aroylazide photochemistry,
Schuster reported a wavelength dependence that showed that
an upper excited state was the precursor to the isocyanate, in
that red-edge photolysis provided only nitrene-derived products.7
However, we find that red-edge excitation of 2 (entries 13-15,
Table 1) also provides PhNCO. This eliminates the upper excited
state possibility. The most economical assumption is that its
precursor is the same singlet excited state that gives rise to the
nitrene. Of course, we cannot rule out a more complex, very
rapid pathway. (For example, Gudmundsdottir recently dem-
onstrated a competition between R-cleavage of a pure benzoyl
chromophore and energy transfer to an azide. Here, one might
imagine that a close-lying benzoyl-derived state would directly
form PhNCO, while the DBT-derived state might provide the
nitrene.)
The TRIR spectra in Figures 1 and 2 are in good agreement
with previous reports for the formation of singlet benzoylnitrene
from benzoylazide, based on the peak at 1758 cm-1 8
. The
appearance of this peak is instantaneous on this time scale. The
decay time constant is about the same for 1 and for 2 as
precursors. In dichloromethane, this decay time is about 3 times
faster than that recorded for benzoylazide as a precursor. An
attractive interpretation is that lifetime shortening is due to
trapping of the nitrene by the newly formed sulfide. For
example, it is known that dimethyl sulfide is a good quencher
(52) Hayashi, Y.; Swern, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1973, 96, 5205-5210.
(53) Fueno, T.; Bonacic-Koutecky, V.; Koutecky, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1983, 105, 5547-5557.
(54) Mandel, S. M.; Krause-Bauer, J. A.; Gudmundsdottir, A. D.
Abstracts of Papers; 220th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, August
20-24, 2000, ORGN-391.
1
of 4.52 In acetonitrile, the lifetime of the singlet nitrene is
(55) Singh, P. N. D.; Mandel, S. M.; Robinson, R. M.; Zhu, Z.; Franz,
R.; Ault, B. S.; Gudmundsdottir, A. D. J. Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 7951-
7960.
shorter, and does not vary with precursor; this is attributable to
the greater facility with which acetonitrile reacts with the nitrene.
(56) Muthukrishnan, S.; Mandel, S. M.; Hackett, J. C.; Singh, P. N. D.;
Hadad, C. M.; Krause, J. A.; Gudmundsdottir, A. D. J. Org. Chem. 2007,
72, 2757-2768.
(51) Lee, W.; Jenks, W. S. J. Org. Chem. 2001, 66, 474-480.
6856 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007

Photochemistry of Sulfilimine-Based Nitrene Precursors
SCHEME 2
evidence of that product has been obtained.
However, this dimerization-based product is not strongly
expected because the alkylnitrenes Gudmundsdottir examined,
in contrast to acylnitrenes, should abstract hydrogens very slowly
and are long-lived.54-57
The insertion of the nitrene into cyclohexane is a product
that can be attributed, in principle, to either singlet or triplet
chemistry. Elegant experiments by Hall and co-workers explic-
itly argued for the partial intervention of triplet phenylnitrene
in certain C-H insertions,58 though others have argued such
insertions were due to singlet chemistry in cases closely related
to ours.7,42 Our experiments do not clarify this further, though
it was important to established the full set of expected reactivity
for this novel nitrene precursor.
Although the TRIR data show that the singlet and triplet
nitrenes are kinetically distinct and do not rapidly equilibrate,
the IR data do not directly quantify the relative amounts of
formation of the two species, unfortunately. Neither do the
product yields, because the triplet nitrenesbeing energetically
higher than the singlet nitrenescan, in principle form singlet
nitrene by “irreversible” intersystem crossing.
iPrOH is due largely to the type of radical chain mechanism
that leads to amide formation in aroylazide chemistry in
alcoholic solvents.7 However, a somewhat faster hydrogen
abstraction rate constant from iPrOH than from methanol
might also account for formation of benzamide, if it brought
the rate of hydrogen abstraction to be competitive with
intersystem crossing down to the singlet nitrene. Ideally, we
would have TRIR data to show the rate of this growth of the
singlet nitrene population at the expense of the triplet population,
but these experiments proved technically infeasible.
Despite this caveat, the product yield data on direct photolysis
never show more than a few percent of products due to triplet
chemistry, and the triplet nitrene signal in the TRIR experiments
is weak compared to that of the singlet nitrene. This is suggestive
3
of a low yield of 4. Additionally, O2 lowers the quantum
For benzoylazide, we reach a different conclusion regarding
the excited-state dynamics, as shown in Scheme 2. The singlet
and triplet states of the azide are likely to be only a few kcal/
mol apart, given the carbonyl’s involvement in the low-energy
excited state. Moreover, on sensitization with xanthone, growth
of the ylide 5 is observed on a rapid time scale that is
inconsistent with formation of the singlet nitrene via slow
intersystem crossing through the triplet nitrene. Instead, we
believe, there is rapid equilibration in the excited states before
nitrene formation. Because the triplet state is, presumably, of
yield of DBT formation (Table 1). All these data can be
reconciled by assuming that a comparatively small fraction of
3
12* partitions to 2* and thus the triplet nitrene. Of this fairly
small fraction of triplet nitrene, some reacts with solvent by
hydrogen abstraction to yield benzamide when appropriate
H-donors are available, and the rest decomposes to singlet
nitrene. We assume that the comparatively small contribution
that this makes to the total singlet nitrene population (and the
quality of the TRIR data) make it difficult to detect this “growth”
component of singlet nitrene. The oxygen quenching results are
consistent with this interpretation, particularly if we allow that
1
lower energy, we can infer that cleavage of PhCON3 to the
corresponding singlet nitrene occurs faster than in the triplet
manifold.
1
O2 may additionally quench 2* because of the large energy
1
3
gap between 2* and 2*. Addition of O2 lowers the overall
quantum yield of DBT formation, indicating quenching of the
excited states before nitrene formation. An increase in the
Furthermore, because PhNCO is not produced on xanthone
sensitization (as evidenced by lack of formation of 8b), we
tentatively assign the precursor of the isocyanate to be an
upper excited singlet, in parallel with the findings of Schuster.7
The quantitative chemical yield of benzamide, however, under
these conditions is likely due to the type of radical chain
mechanism observed by Schuster and others, rather than the
intervention of quantitative hydrogen abstraction by the triplet
nitrene.7,45
3
relative yield of PhNCO is consistent with quenching of 2*
specifically because it indicates that 2* is “recycled” after having
already lost a fraction of its population to the formation of
PhNCO.
When xanthone is used as a triplet sensitizer, we presume
that 32* is generated specifically. According to Scheme 1, this
gives exclusively the triplet nitrene. Yet entries 9 and 12 in
Table 1 in particular indicate clearly singlet products: OH
insertion to form 9a in methanol, and addition of acetonitrile
to form 6 in 90% CH3CN. This is accommodated by the
intersystem crossing of the triplet nitrene down to the singlet.
We presume, but have not proved, that at least much of the
43% yield of benzamide on xanthone-sensitized photolysis of
Conclusions
The observation of characteristic bands in the infrared, high
quantum yield of dibenzothiophene formation, and characteristic
product formation all demonstrate that sulfilimine 2 is a relevant
precursor to benzoylnitrene. Both singlet and triplet nitrenes
are observed directly. Shorter nitrene lifetimes with 1 or 2 than
when benzoylazide is used as a precursor in dichloromethane
suggest that back reaction with the sulfide may be a significant
process. Triplet benzoylnitrene, although not the ground state
(57) Liang, T. Y.; Schuster, G. B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 7803-
7810.
(58) Hall, J. H.; Hill, J. W.; Fargher, J. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1968, 90,
5313-5314.
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007 6857

Desikan et al.
complete conversion. Reactions for product yield determinations
were typically stopped when only a few percent of the original
starting material remained. Identification and quantification were
done by a combination of 1H NMR and GC-MS (EI, DB-5 column)
of crude reaction mixtures. Products were identified by comparison
of data to authentic samples for all compounds except 8b, 9b, and
12b. Compounds 8b and 9b were known in the literature, and the
of the nitrene, still disappears only on the microsecond time
scale. Given the paucity of triplet-derived products, we believe
the major pathway for its decomposition is relatively slow
intersystem crossing to the ground-state singlet. Although
phenylisocyanate is a troublesome byproduct of photolysis of
1
2, this alternate reaction of 2* is obviously dependent on the
presence of the adjacent carbonyl group; thus we conclude that
sulfilimines based on dibenzothiophene are likely to be useful
precursors to a variety of nitrenes. Further work is underway.
1
1
reported H NMR was relied upon.67,68 The H NMR spectrum of
the analogue of 12b made from trans-3-hexene (as opposed to trans-
4-octene) and its analogy to the spectrum and GC-MS of 12a was
used as evidence of structure.
Compound Preparation. N-Benzoyl-S,S-diphenylsulfilimine 1,69
benzoylazide 3,70 carbamate 8a,71 N-methoxybenzamide 9a,71 and
oxadiazole 672 were prepared by literature methods. cis-Aziridine
12a was prepared by the method of Tanner,73 previously applied
Experimental Section
Time-Resolved IR Methods. The TRIR experiments have been
conducted following the method of Hamaguchi and co-workers59,60
as has been described previously.61 Briefly, the broadband output
of a MoSi2 IR source is crossed with excitation pulses from either
a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (266 nm, 90 ns, 0.4 mJ) operating at
200 Hz or a Nd:YAG laser (266 nm, 5 ns, 2 mJ) operating at 15
Hz. Changes in IR intensity are monitored using an ac-coupled
mercury/cadmium/tellurium (MCT) photovoltaic IR detector, ampli-
fied, digitized with an oscilloscope, and collected for data process-
ing. The experiment is conducted in dispersive mode.
1
to the hexene derivative, rather than the octene derivative: H NMR
(CDCl3) δ 1.01 (t, J ) 7.2 Hz, 6H), 1.44-1.66 (m, 6H), 1.7-1.8
(m, 2H), 2.52-2.58 (m, 2H), 7.45 (t, J ) 7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.55 (t, J )
7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.99 (d, J ) 7.2 Hz, 2H); 13C NMR (CDCl3) δ 14.0,
20.6, 30.1, 42.3, 128.3, 129.2, 132.5, 133.8, 180.4. Compounds 8b
and 9b were identified by comparison to literature reports of their
1H NMR spectra,67,68 in addition to MS data.
N-Benzoyl-S,S-dibenzothiophene Sulfilimine 2. This compound
was prepared in two ways. Method A was in close analogy to that
of Nakayama.74 To a solution of trifluoroacetic anhydride (0.706
mL, 5.0 mmol) in CH2Cl2 at -78 °C was added dibenzothiophene-
S-oxide11 (0.5 g, 2.5 mmol) in CH2Cl2. The reaction was stirred at
this temperature for 30 min. At -60 °C, a solution of benzamide
in THF (0.606 g, 5.0 mmol) was added, and the reaction was held
at this temperature for 90 min. The reaction mixture was then slowly
warmed to room temperature. The reaction mixture was washed
with saturated sodium bicarbonate, and the organic layer was dried
and concentrated to give the crude product. Purification was by
silica chromatography using 5% EtOAc in CH2Cl2 as eluent to give
2 in 30% yield: 1H NMR (CDCl3) δ 8.26 (d, J ) 7.2 Hz, 2H),
8.13 (d, J ) 6.9 Hz, 2H), 7.95 (d, J ) 7.8 Hz, 2H), 7.69 (t, J ) 7.5
Hz, 2H), 7.56 (t, J ) 7.5 Hz, 2H), 7.3-7.5 (m, 3 H); 13C NMR
(CDCl3) δ 122.3, 127.9, 128.9, 129.0, 129.9, 131.0, 132.4, 135.9,
138.4, 138.4, 178.6; MS (m/z) 303, 274, 200, 184; IR 1592, 1545,
1333, 1292 755, 714 cm-1. Method B: N-p-Tosyldibenzothiophene
sulfilimine was made following the known literature procedure for
related compounds.75 N-p-Tosyldibenzothiophene sulfilimine (1.0
g, 2.8 mmol) was dissolved in 10 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid
(95%) at room temperature for about 2 h, and the resulting solution
was then poured into 100 mL of cold diethyl ether. After removal
of the ether, the oily mixture was dissolved in 100 mL of
chloroform, washed with ammonium hydroxide (2×), followed by
water (5×), dried with sodium sulfate, and the solvent was removed.
The white solid was then dissolved in 50 mL of benzene and added
in benzoic anhydride (0.65 g, 2.8 mmol). The resulting solution
was allowed to stir for 1 h. Then benzene was removed, and the
residue was dissolved 50 mL of dichloromethane, washed with
water (5×), dried with sodium sulfate, and the solvent was removed.
Computational Methods: Geometries were fully optimized at
the respective level of theory, and all stationary points were
confirmed to be energy minima by vibrational frequency
analysis. The B3LYP62-64 calculations were performed with Gauss-
ian 98.65
General Steady-State Photolysis Methods. Solvents used were
“spectral grade” and were used without further purification. The
photolyses and quantum yield measurements were carried using a
75 W xenon Arc lamp fitted to a monochromator set to the specified
wavelength with (12 nm linear dispersion. Valerophenone was used
as the actinometer,66 and the photolysis at 320 nm to form
acetophenone was monitored by HPLC. Samples were placed in a
1 cm square quartz cell mounted on a holder such that all the light
emanating from the monochromator hits the sample directly (OD
> 2). Initial concentrations were 2-4 mM. Except as noted, all
solutions were bubbled with Ar for at least 10 min prior to
photolysis. The progress of reactions was monitored by HPLC
analysis with a diode array UV/vis detector with a C18 reverse
phase column for separation. All reported yield data represent at
least duplicate experiments, and most were carried out in triplicate
or greater.
Quantum yields were measured by monitoring the appearance
of DBT, using HPLC detection and low conversions. Product yields
reported in Table 1 were determined from runs done to nearly
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(75) Svoronos, P.; Horak, V. Synthesis 1979, 596-597.
6858 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 18, 2007

Photochemistry of Sulfilimine-Based Nitrene Precursors
The residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 10% ethyl
acetate/hexane as an eluent to give 0.4 g (50%) of an off-white
solid.
Supporting Information Available: Spectral data on new
compounds, additional TRIR data, and documentation of all
computational data are provided. This material is available free of
charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
Acknowledgment. The authors at Iowa State (CHE-
0211371) and at Johns Hopkins (CHE-0518406) thank the
National Science Foundation for support of this work.
JO071049R
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