PHOTOINDUCED ALCOHOLYSIS OF alpha , alpha , alpha -TRIBROMACETOPHENONE TO BENZOYLFORMATE.

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/bcsj.56.1490

Irradiation of p-substituted alpha , alpha , alpha -tribromoacetophenones (1) in O//2-saturated alcohols (MeOH, prim. and sec. alcohols) afforded a new alcoholysis product, benzoylformate (2), in good yield (75-85%) along with benzoate and radical (reduction) products. Sensitization experiments showed that 2 was derived from the triplet excited 1. Formation of 2 as well as the decomposition rate of 1 were greatly accelerated by oxygen, presumably as a result of the involvement of the normally forbidden S//o yields T//1 transition of 1 due to the oxygen-1 charge transfer complex. Independent synthesis and reaction of possible intermediates in the photoalcoholysis of 1 leading to 2 suggested that 2 was formed from spontaneous (dark) reactions of initial photoalcoholysis product, alpha alpha -dibromo- alpha -alkoxyacetophenone.