Photochemical reactions of aliphatic aldehydes in solution

Abstract

Simple aliphatic aldehydes with a C4 or longer chain undergo ‘type 2’ photoelimination and photocyclisation as major reactions in solution. Both singlet and triplet nπ* states are direct precursors to products in these reactions. Quenching studies show that the triplet lifetime, governed largely by the rate constant for intramolecular hydrogen-abstraction, varies with the substituent at position 4 in the chain.