Direct observation of arylnitrene formation in the photoreaction of arylazide crystals

作者:Takayama Terufumi; Mitsumori Takahiro; Kawano Masaki; Sekine Akiko*; Uekusa Hidehiro; Ohashi Yuji; Sugawara Tadashi
来源:Acta Crystallographica Section B-Structural Science, 2010, 66(6): 639-646.
DOI:10.1107/S0108768110036608

摘要

Seven crystal structures of arylazides, 2-azidobiphenyl (2), 4-(4-azidophenyl)butanoic acid (3), 3-azidobenzoic acid (4), N-(4-azidophenyl)acetamide (5), 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl azide (6), 2,5-dibromophenyl azide (7) and 2,4,6-tribromophenyl azide (8), have been analyzed by X-rays. When the crystals were irradiated with UV light at similar or equal to 80 K, only 2-azidobiphenyl gradually changed its cell dimensions with the retention of the single-crystal form. The crystal structure after photo-irradiation was analyzed by X-rays under the same conditions as those before photo-irradiation. Approximately 20% of the 2-azidobiphenyl molecule was converted to the triplet 2-biphenylnitrene and dinitrogen molecules. The existence of the triplet nitrene was confirmed by ESR and IR measurements. Although the structure of dinitrogen was clearly determined, the nitrene structure was obscure because the nitrene produced was almost superimposed on the original 2-azidobiphenyl. The other six crystals were non-reactive or easily broken when they were exposed to UV light. The different reactivity between 2-azidobiphenyl and the other compounds was successfully explained by the reaction cavity of the azido group.

  • 出版日期2010-12