Unstable intermediates. Part LI. An electron spin resonance study of radicals and radical pairs formed by irradiation of organic carbonates

Abstract

E.s.r. spectra obtained from diaryl carbonates, γ-irradiated at 77°K, show that one of the major results of irradiation is the pairwise trapping of phenoxy-radicals. The e.s.r. results support the chemical evidence that elimination of carbon monoxide and subsequent cage recombination are important processes in the radiation chemistry of aromatic carbonates. The e.s.r. spectra of γ-irradiated polycarbonates and diaryl carbonates and ultraviolet-irradiated diphenylcarbonate are also discussed.