Mercury-sensitized luminescence of some aliphatic amines

Rate constants for quenching of 253.7 nm fluorescence and quantum efficiencies for emission of luminescence during mercury-sensitized photolysis have been measured for methylamine, ethylaminc, n-propylamine, isopropylamine, n-butylamine, isobutylamine, tert-butylamine, sec-butylamine, dimethylamine, diethylamine, trimethylamine and triethylamine. From the variation of luminescent efficiency with the structure of the amine we conclude that the main process competing with luminescence, during the reaction of Hg(3Po) with an amine, is normally the abstraction of an α-hydrogen atom. Strong σ*→n fluorescence was observed during 253.7 nm irradiation of trimethylamine, triethylamine and tri-n-propylamine.