Photochemistry and Photophysics of Glycolaldehyde in Solution

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00237a036

The end products for the photolysis of glycolaldehyde in aqueous solution have been monitored by mass spectrometric, FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and UV-vis spectroscopic techniques.Methanol, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and malonaldehyde are the major photochemical products and are in accord with earlier CIDNP studies.The quantum yields of fluorescence for glycolaldehyde and a series of related alkanal compounds in solution are reported for the first time; they are all in the range Φ_F = 0.71-0.84E-3.The singlet state decay kinetics for glycolaldehyde and ethanal were followed in more detail by measurement of their fluorescence lifetimes in solution with use of a synchrotron radiation source.The results may be explained in terms of emission from "free" and hydrogen-bonded singlet n?^* excited states of the carbonyl compounds in water.