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The slow photo-induced CO2 release of N-phthaloylglycine
Wiebke Haselbach1, Oliver Nolden1, Nadine Blaise2
1Institut für Physikalische Chemie, HHU Düsseldorf Universitätsstr. 1 40225 Düsseldorf Germany gilch@hhu.de.
Abstract:
Carboxylic acids and carboxylates may release CO2 upon oxidation. The oxidation can be conducted electrochemically as in the Kolbe synthesis or by a suitable oxidant. In N-phthaloylglycine (PG), the photo-excited phthalimide chromophore acts as an oxidant. Here, the photo-kinetics of PG dissolved in acetonitrile is traced by steady-state as well as time-resolved UV/vis and IR spectroscopy. The experiments provide clear evidence that, contrary to earlier claims, the photo-induced CO2 release is slow, i.e. it occurs on the microsecond time range. The triplet state of PG is, therefore, the photo-reactive one.

