Direct photoisomerization of the 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatrienes. Medium effect on triplet and singlet contributions

Quantum yields for the interconversion of the all-trans-, cis,trans,trans- and trans,cis,trans-1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatrienes (DPH) in methylcyclohexane (MCH) or acetonitrile (AN) following 366 nm excitation show these processes to be relatively inefficient. Their dependence on the concentration of the DPH reveals significant participation of triplet states in the overall process. Despite very low intersystem crossing quantum yields (0.029 and 0.010 in MCH and AN, respectively) singlet and triplet contributions in the photoisomerization of all-trans-1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene are roughly equal in MCH, and, for the trans,cis,trans isomer, in AN. However, in AN the cis,trans,trans isomer forms nearly exclusively by a singlet pathway from the other two isomers. The cis,cis,trans isomer, a very minor component in photostationary states, appears to form primarily from the cis,trans,trans isomer whose excited singlet state also gives another isomer, tentatively identified as ctc-DPH. The major radiationless channel of the excited singlet state of each DPH isomer is direct decay to the original ground state. Barriers to torsional relaxation of the planar lowest DPH excited singlet states (2(1)A(g) and 1(1)B(u)) must be significantly higher than previously supposed. Photoisomerization quantum yields of all-trans-DPH in the presence of fumaronitrile (FN) are also separated into singlet and triplet contributions. Fumaronitrile quenches DPH fluorescence and singlet contributions to the photoisomerization equally, but enhances DPH triplet formation and the triplet contribution to the photoisomerization. Radical cations of DPH form in AN but do not participate in isomer interconversion.