Abstract:
Early processes in photochemistry of 2,3-bis(2,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)cyclopent-2-enone were explored using the ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. The photocyclization occurs from the antiparallel conformation of an open form on a time scale of 7 ps, while the parallel conformation exhibits an intersystem crossing within 130 ps. The mechanism and timescales were revealed as typical of other thiophene-containing diarylethenes.