Singlet Halophenylcarbenes as Strong Hydrogen-Bond Acceptors.

Chlorophenylcarbene and fluorophenylcarbene were generated in water-doped argon matrices at cryogenic temperatures by photolysis of the corresponding matrix-isolated diazirines. When diffusion of H2O in solid argon was induced by annealing of the matrices at temperatures above 20 K, hydrogen-bonded complexes between the carbenes and water were formed. UV photolysis of these complexes resulted in the formation of benzaldehyde and hydrogen halides HX. The same products were obtained after photolysis of the diazirines in amorphous water ice. Obviously, the primary insertion product of the carbenes into H-OH is unstable under these conditions, and benzaldehyde is formed via secondary photolysis. The stable primary photochemical insertion product of chlorophenylcarbene into an O-H bond was observed in the reaction of the carbene with methanol.