Photolysis of meta-azidophenol in water-organic mixtures

Photolysis of m-azidophenol (m-AP) in organic solvents and water-organic mixtures of various composition was studied using the methods of electronic spectroscopy. m-Azidophenol dissolved in water-organic mixtures was shown to form associates with solvent molecules, depending on the composition of the mixture. The nature of m-AP photolysis products and the rate of their formation are determined by the character of m-AP solvation in water-organic mixtures. In acetonitrile solution, a polymeric product is formed via the interaction of the phenol group with the nitrene of an adjacent m-AP molecule. An increase in the mole fraction of water in a water-acetonitrile mixture leads to a decrease in the yield of the polymeric product and an increase in the yield of the hydroxylamine derivative. In water-ethanol mixtures, the hydroxylamine derivative is the main product of photolysis.