LONG-WAVELENGTH PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF MATRIX-ISOLATED BIACETYL

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Visible irradiation (520 nm$>\lambda>485nm)ofmatrixisolatedbiacetyl(C_4H_6O_2)resultsintheformationofacomplexofcis−methylhydroxycarbene(CH_3COH)andketene(CH_2CO),aswellasotherproducts.ThewavelengthsusedinthisstudyarelongerthanthosenecessaryfortheS_0S_1$ (~{X}1Ag -~{A}1Au) transition, indicating that the photolysis is the result of a multiphoton process. One such process is sequential, where the spin-forbidden S0-T1 (~{X}1Ag -~{a}3Au) transition is followed by the allowed T1-T2 (~{a}3Au -~{b}3Bg) transition, with photoproducts emerging from the higher triplet (or following a radiationless transition to another state). A simultaneous two-photon process is also possible through the symmetry-forbidden S0-S2 (~{X}1Ag -~{B}1Bg) transition. Photoproduct formation as a function of irradiation flux and wavelength was used to sort out the relative contributions of each of these processes.

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Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510-4626

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