The photochemistry of optically active (E)-cyclooctene: lamp versus laser
Abstract
The photochemistry of optically active (E)-cyclooctene in cyclopentane was initiated with a lamp at ca. 254 nm and a Nd-YAG laser at 266 nm. The alkene racemizes slightly faster than it isomerizes to (Z)-cyclooctene, suggesting a previously hidden mechanism of E–Z photointerconversion. The photoreaction at 266 nm may be multiphoton in character.