Electron transfer between neutral radicals generated from photolysis of diphenylmethyl 1-naphthalenecarboxylate in polar solvents

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)61137-1

From the fact that photolysis of diphenylmethyl 1-naphthalenecarboxylate in methanol, ethanol, and 2-propanol afforded the corresponding alkoxydiphenylmethanes in addition to 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethane and other products, it is proposed that the radical pairs of Ph₂CH· and ArCO₂· resulting from the photolysis undergo electron transfer to give Ph₂CH⁺ and ArCO₂^- with a rate constant comparable to radical recombination in the solvent cage.