Issue 29, 2010

New insights into the photodynamics of acetylacetone: isomerization and fragmentation in low-temperature matrixes

Abstract

UV and IR photoreactivities of acetylacetone isolated at 4.3 K in four matrixes (N2, Ne, Ar, Xe), pure and doped with O2 are investigated, using either tunable UV and IR optical parametric oscillators, or a broad band mercury lamp. Samples are probed by UV and FTIR spectroscopies: electronic and vibrational transitions are assigned and irradiation kinetics are analyzed. Contrary to what is observed in the gas phase, stereoisomerization is the main reaction observed: UV irradiation breaks the strong H-bond of the stable enolic form of acetylacetone, leading to the observation of non-chelated forms. Isomerization among the different non-chelated forms as well as back-isomerization to the chelated form are also observed under UV irradiation. Similar reactions and reaction rates are observed for the four matrixes, indicating that the inter-system crossing to the T1 state involved in the isomerization process is very fast, probably due to efficient coupling with phonons, in contrast with gas phase where inter-system crossing is rate-limiting. When matrixes are doped with O2, dissociation of the non-chelated forms under UV irradiation is observed and fragments, in particular CO, are formed in large amounts. Dissociation through a Norrish type-I reaction is probably one of the reaction channels occurring during electronic relaxation: dissociation is hindered by the surrounding cage in the case of pure matrixes while fragments immediately react with O2 in the case of doped matrixes. The differences between gas phase and cold solid medium photodynamics of acetylacetone are discussed.

Graphical abstract: New insights into the photodynamics of acetylacetone: isomerization and fragmentation in low-temperature matrixes

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Feb 2010
Accepted
08 Jun 2010
First published
25 Jun 2010

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010,12, 8300-8310

New insights into the photodynamics of acetylacetone: isomerization and fragmentation in low-temperature matrixes

A. Trivella, T. N. Wassermann, J. M. Mestdagh, C. Manca Tanner, F. Marinelli, P. Roubin and S. Coussan, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 8300 DOI: 10.1039/C003593A

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