In the photoreactions of 9, 10-dicyanophenanthrene (6) with 1,3-butadiene (
7) a novel [3+2]-photocycloaddition at the 9, 10-position of the phenanthre
ne ring of 6 to one of the double bond of 7 and a [2+2]-cycloaddition at th
e 9,10-position of 6 were found to proceed from the singlet and the triplet
excited states of 6, respectively.