CHEMISTRY AND SPECTROSCOPY OF AROMATIC DIRADICALS IN CRYOGENIC MATRICES

The matrix isolation of a variety of aromatic diradicals is described in this report. Flash vacuum pyrolysis of terephthaloyl and isophthalo yl diiodide produces E/Z mixtures of hexa-1,5-diyne-3-ene but no dehyd robenzene. [2.2]Paracyclophanes are highly strained molecules and are shown to be precursors of a variety of interesting diradicals, novel k etenes, and unusual quinoid compounds. Photolysis of substituted quino ne diazides provides access to m-dehydrophenols, and thus allows for t he direct spectroscopic observation of a derivative of m-dehydrobenzen e.