Laser flash photolysis of ketone 1 in argon-saturated methanol yields triplet biradical 1BR (τ = 63 ns) that intersystem crosses to form photoenols Z-1P (λmax = 350 nm, τ ~ 10 µs) and E-1P (λmax = 350 nm, τ > 6 ms). The activation barrier for Z-1P re-forming ketone 1 through a 1,5-H shift was determined as 7.7 ± 0.3 kcal mol-1 . In contrast, for ketone 2, which has a less sterically hindered carbonyl moiety, laser flash photolysis in argon-saturated methanol revealed the formation of biradical 2BR (λmax = 330 nm, τ ~ 303 ns) that intersystem crosses to form photoenol E-2P (λmax = 350 nm, τ > 42 µs), but photoenol Z-2P was not detected. However, in more viscous basic H-bond acceptor (BHA) solvent, such as hexamethylphosphoramide, triplet 2BR intersystem crosses to form both Z-2P (λmax = 370 nm, τ ~ 1.5 µs) and E-2P. Thus, laser flash photolysis of ketone 2 in methanol reveals that intersystem crossing from 2BR to form Z-2P is slower than the 1,5-H shift of Z-2P, whereas in viscous BHA solvents, the 1,5-H shift becomes slower than the intersystem crossing from 2BR to Z-2P. Density functional theory and coupled cluster calculations were performed to support the reaction mechanisms for photoenolization of ketones 1 and 2.
