Photolysis of Alkyl Azides. Evidence for a Nonnitrene Mechanism

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00522a049

The photolyses of nine sec- and tert-alkyl azides have been studied in detail.The products consist of imines derived from 1,2-shifts of groups on the alkyl carbon atom α to the azide nitrogen atom.No evidence of typical nitrene processes (aromatic substitution, aliphatic C-H insertion) was found.The imine product distributions are rationalized on the basis of a preferred migration orientation in the photochemically excited azide, along with a consideration of either ground or excited state rotational equilibration of the azide.Photolyses of selected azides carried out over an approximately 200 deg C temperature range allow an estimation of apparent activation energy differences between different group migrations.These energy differences are in the range of 70-493 cal/mol and are related to rotational equilibration of the alkyl azide.