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Pavlik, J. W. et al.
mol-1 for pyrazine and at 89 and 115 kcal mol-1 for pyrimidine. Methyl substitution in both pyrazine and
pyrimidine significantly lowers the S2 energy levels, while the S1 levels are nearly unchanged.7,8 The energies of
the S1 (n,*) and S2 (,*) states in 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, for example, lie at 89 and 102 kcal mol-1 while these
states in 2,4-dimethylpyrimidine 12 lie at 89 and 109 kcal mol-1. These energies correspond to S0S2 (,*)
onsets in these UV absorption spectra at 278 nm and 260 nm, respectively. The S1 (n,*) and S2 (,*) energy
levels of other dimethylpyrazines and dimethylpyrimidines are expected to lie at similar energies.
Photochemical excitation of these dimethylpyrazines and dimethylpyrimidines with light of 254 nm is expected
to result in the population of S2 (,*) excited states with excess vibrational energy.
The non-radiative decay properties for aza- and diaza-aromatic compounds are similar to those of benzene.9
Thus, for these heteroarenes, particularly fast non-radiative decay channels have been observed and it has been
suggested that these non-radiation channels may be similar to “channel three” in benzene.10-15 In benzene, this
decay pathway, which originates in a vibrationally excited ,* state, results in the formation of the ground
state diradical perfulvene,16 the presumed precursor of benzvalene.
For pyridine, theoretical calculations predict that the S2 (,*) state crosses both the S1(n,*) and S0 states
along a concerted pathway leading to the ground-state azaprefulvene diradical,17 a species which has been
suggested to be the key intermediate in the phototransposition reactions of variously substituted pyridines.
Furthermore, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy has shown that in the condensed phase the S2
(,*) state of pyridine passes through a conical intersection to the ground-state of the azaprefulvene
diradical.18 This species reverts to pyridine in greater than 2 ns.18 Considering the observed phototransposition
reactions of deuterium,19 methyl,6 and cyano20 substituted pyridines, migration of the N atom around the
cyclopentenyl ring during the lifetime of the azaprefulvene diradical must be possible.
Theoretical calculations also predict that the S2 (,*) state of pyrazine crosses both the S1 (n,*) and S0
state along a concerted pathway, leading through a conical intersection to the ground-state diazaprefulvene
diradical,21 the suggested intermediate in these phototransposition reactions.
Su has used theoretical calculations to study this mechanistic possibility in dimethylpyrazine.22 According to
his study the Franck-Condon state of 2,6-dimethylpyrazine 5, for example, follows two pathways, leading to
conical intersections resulting in the formation of 4,5-dimethylpyrimidine 11 and 2,4-dimethylpyrimidine 12,
respectively. Based on the relative stabilities of the two conical intersections, Su predicts that 4,5-
dimethylpyrimidine 11 should be the major product whereas 2,4-dimethylpyrimidine should be the minor
product. Su states that this is consistent with the product distribution given by Lahami and Ivanoff.1-3 To the
best of our knowledge, these authors did not give the relative yields of these two products or even identify
pyrimidine 12 as a product.
The structure proposed by Su for the conical intersection leading to 4,5-dimethylpyrimidine 11 shows C2
and C6 moving closer together while the N moves out of the plane of the remaining 5-membered ring. The
structure resembles the higher energy bicyclic diradical species 5A resulting from C2-C6 bonding of pyrazine 5
suggested earlier. The conical intersection leading to 2,4-dimethylpyrimidine 12, however, appears to be
essentially planar with only a small amount of C3-C5 interaction. This suggests that the conical intersection is
reached earlier on the reaction coordinate leading to the C3-C5 bonded diradical BC-5. The conical intersection
then resembles the Franck-Condon species and is therefore of higher energy then the analogous conical
intersection leading to 4,5-dimethylpyrimidine 11.
The results predicted by the theoretical calculations do not agree with our experimental observations. Thus,
we observe that pyrimidine 12 is the major product formed in 17% yield, whereas pyrimidine 11 is the minor
product formed in 8% yield. These results agree with the relative stabilities of the precursor bicyclic diradicals.
Apparently, more research is required to determine the structures of the species in the conical intersection.23
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