AN EFFICIENT PHOTOREACTOR FOR USE OF LINEAR POLYMERIC PHOTOSENSITIZERS WITH PREPARATIVE PURPOSES

A photoreactor specially designed for preparative synthesis in homogen eous phase employing linear polymeric photosensitizers is described. T he reactor allows the direct separation and subsequent reuse of the se nsitizer by in situ ultrafiltration of the irradiated solution. The ph oto-oxidation with visible light of furfural, using as polymeric photo sensitizer Rose Bengal covalently bound to linear polystyrene, has bee n chosen for the evaluation of the reactor as well as for the study of the behaviour of this particular photosensitizer when it is repeatedl y used. The results of consecutive identical photo-oxidations indicate that, under the experimental conditions used, this sensitizer is phot ostable and its efficiency remains constant.