Photolysis of an asymmetrically substituted diazene in solution and in the crystalline state.

In this work we study the product distribution in the steady state photolysis of a diazene, (1-biphenyl-4-yl-1-methyl-ethyl)-tert-butyl diazene, and a ketone, 2,4-bis(biphenyl-4-yl)-2,4-dimethyl-pentan-3-one, in the solid state and in solution. The two compounds yield 1-biphenyl-4-yl-1-methyl-ethyl (BME ) radicals upon photolysis. The ketone yields two units of this radical, whereas the diazene yields one BME and one tert-butyl radical.