The mechanism of photolysis of some benzyltrimethylammonium salts in water and in alcohols
Abstract
Photolysis of a range of benzyltrimethylammonium and 3,5-dimethoxybenzyltrimethylammonium salts in water or methanol at 253.7 nm gave typically benzyl alcohols (or benzyl methyl ethers), toluenes, bibenzyls and isomers, and di- and tri-methylammonium salts. By detailed sensitisation and quenching experiments it was established that, in the photolysis of benzyltrimethylammonium bromide in aqueous t-butyl alcohol, benzyl t-butyl ether, benzyl alcohol, and some toluene were produced by a singlet pathway and bibenzyl by a triplet pathway. A general mechanistic scheme for all the photolyses studied is thus suggested.