title: Ring opening of 2,5-didehydrothiophene: matrix photochemistry of C4H2S isomers.
abstract: Irradiation (lambda > 254 nm) of matrix-isolated 2,5-diiodothiophene (10) gives rise to IR bands assigned to ethynylthioketene (6). Diethynyl sulfide (3), which would form in the process of retro-Bergman cyclization of the incipient 2,5-didehydrothiophene (4), is not detected. Under the same irradiation conditions, matrix-isolated diethynyl sulfide (3) rearranges to thioketene 6 and butatrienethione (5), the global minimum on C4H2S potential energy surface. The photochemical formation of thioketene 6 from either diyl 4 or sulfide 3 may be interpreted in line with a recent computational prediction on the thermal ring opening of diyl 4, which favors C-S bond cleavage, leading to 6, over C-C bond cleavage, leading to 3. Photolysis of matrix-isolated 3,4-thiophenedicarboxylic acid anhydride (11) enables the observation of the photoequilibration of three low-energy C4H2S isomers, butatrienethione (5), ethynylthioketene (6), and butadiynylthiol (7), via apparent [1,3]-hydrogen shifts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Yong Seol
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inui
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McMahon