On the involvement of diazonium ions in the photorearrangement of azoxybenzene

Abstract

Photolysis of aromatic azoxy compounds in non-basic solvents in the presence of 2-naphthol leads quite generally to azonaphthols in addition to the normal photorearrangement product. Free diazonium ions are implicated as the precursors of the azonaphthols, both the latter and the usual photorearrangement product being derived from the same excited state of the azoxy compound. Variation of the solvent, light intensity, substrate concentration, and percent reaction all cause changes in the product distribution. Such changes can be accommodated by postulating an intermediate which can either afford the normal rearrangement product by loss of a proton to a weak base, or expel a diazonium ion when no base is present.