Radiation and Radiationless Processes in 2,3-Pentanedione; Phosphorescence Lifetime in the Gas Phase
Fluorescence and phosphorescence are observed when 2,3-pentanedione in the gaseous state is excited at 365, 405, and 436°nm. The phosphorescence lifetime has been investigated as a function of temperature (298 to 363 °K) and concentration of the diketone (0.5 to 90 × 10−4 M). A mechanism that explains the experimental data is proposed. Apart from the radiative process and an intersystem crossing to the ground state, the triplet state 2,3-pentanedione molecules are removed by two other processes. One is a unimolecular reaction with a rate constant of 1 × 1011 exp (−11.0/RT) s−1 (consistent with an intramolecular hydrogen atom abstraction), and the other is an interaction with ground state molecules. The photochemistry of the triplet state of 2,3-pentanedione is compared with that of biacetyl to consider the effect of substitution of a hydrogen atom by the methyl group on the radiationless processes in diketones.