β Scribed by Dwaine O. Cowan; Ronald L. Drisko
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
An intriguing report that the photodimerization of acenaphthylene in benzene produces the trans cyclobutane isomer while the same dimerization performed in cyclohexane Droduces the cis isomer has persisted in the photochemical literature from lgl.3 to the present time (1,2). We wish to present here some of our preliminary findings on the solvent effect on the photodimerization of acenaphthylene.
Acenaphthylene in various solvents (see Table I) was irradiated in a flask designed to fit around a Hanovia quartz immersion well. Unless otherwise specified the solutions were stirred magnetically and continuously prged with purified nitrogen. A Hanovia 450-w mediumpressure mercury arc lamp inside a uranium glass filter sleeve was used in all experiments.
π SIMILAR VOLUMES
An improved rcprrscntaticm of the photodimerizatioz reactivity af acerraphthylene is provided by M clectrrtnic overlap popillation analysis of excited moltculc-pairs.