Investigation of the photo-fries rearrangements of two 2-naphthyl alkanoates by experiment and theory. Comparison with the acid-catalyzed reactions

A detailed investigation of the photochemistry of a-naphthyl acetate (1a) and 2-naphthyl myristate (1b) has been conducted under a variety of conditions. Factors related to the reactions such as temperature and solvent type have been explored. The results, most easily interpreted by photo-Fries type processes, are contrasted with those from the Lewis-acid catalyzed (dark) Fries reactions of 1a. They are also compared to the predictions of semiempirical and ab initio calculations using 2-naphthyl propanoate (1c) and species derived from it as models. Unsuccessful triplet sensitization experiments with benzophenone and calculations point to the excited singlet states of 1 as the immediate precursor to the acyl/2-naphthoxy radical pairs that recombine to form keto intermediates 2, reform 1, or diffuse apart and eventually yield 2-naphthol (4); enolization of 2 results in the isolated rearrangement products, n-acyl-2-naphthols (n-3). Static and dynamic fluorescence studies provide some insights into the nature of the lysis process. Irradiation of a mixture of appropriately labeled derivatives of 1 led to none of the expected ''cross-over'' products, indicating that the intermediates 2 arise from recombination of radical pairs from the same parent molecule. Irradiation of 1b in ethanol and 1-octanol provides no evidence for the intermediacy of dodecylketene and supports out-of-cage mechanisms as the exclusive source of 4. There are indications of subtle solvent effects and a conformational dependence on the distribution of photoproducts.