Acyl nitroso compounds have been generated by photolysis of several different classes of precursors including 9,10-dimethylanthracene adducts, nitrodiazo compounds, and 1,2,4-oxadiazole-4-oxides. Consideration of the nitronate-like resonance structure of nitrodiazo compounds led to an examination of the photochemistry of nitronates with α-leaving groups. Photolysis of such nitronates has been shown to generate an acyl nitroso species along with a carbene intermediate. Nanosecond time-resolved infrared (TRIR) spectroscopy has been used to detect photogenerated acyl nitroso compounds directly and to examine their reaction kinetics with amines and thiols. The mechanism of acyl nitroso aminolysis by primary amines involves general base catalysis, while the mechanism of aminolysis by secondary amines is strictly bimolecular. Thiols do not seem to be reactive with acyl nitroso compounds on the microsecond time scale, but thiolates are quite reactive. The reaction between benzoyl nitroside and an organic-soluble thiolate, tetrabutylammonium dodecanethiolate, proceeds via a proposed tetrahedral intermediate, which is observable by TRIR spectroscopy.

The irradiation of trans-vinylketones 1a-c yields the corresponding cis isomers 2a-c. Laser flash photolysis of 1a and 1b with 308 and 355 nm lasers results in their triplet ketones (T1K of 1), which rearrange to form triplet 1,2-biradicals 3a and 3b, respectively, whereas irradiation with a 266 nm laser produces their cis-isomers through singlet reactivity. Time-resolved IR spectroscopy of 1a with 266 nm irradiation confirmed that 2a is formed within the laser pulse. In comparison, laser flash photolysis of 1c with a 308 nm laser showed only the formation of 2c through singlet reactivity. At cryogenic temperatures, the irradiation of 1 also resulted in 2. DFT calculations were used to aid in the characterization of the excited states and biradicals involved in the cis-trans isomerization and to support the mechanism for the cis-trans isomerization on the triplet surface.

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Nanosecond time-resolved infrared (TRIR) spectroscopy has been used to observe singlet thiobenzoylnitrene at 1740 cm(-1) upon photolysis of 5-phenyl-1,2,3,4-thiatriazole in acetonitrile and dichloromethane. Consistent with the experimental observations, thiobenzoylnitrene is predicted by B3LYP/6-31G* calculations to have a singlet ground state with an intense IR band at 1752 cm(-1). Phenyl isothiocyanate is also produced. Kinetic measurements indicate that it is not formed from singlet thiobenzoylnitrene, but rather directly from the thiatriazole. Unlike benzoylnitrene, singlet thiobenzoylnitrene does not react with acetonitrile or dichloromethane on the nanosecond timescale. However, it does react with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to produce a sulfoximine detected at 1180 cm(-1) (k(DMSO) = 3 × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)). Benzonitrile (observed at 2230 cm(-1)) is produced from both singlet thiobenzoylnitrene (presumably through a short-lived, unobservable benzonitrile sulfide intermediate) and directly from the thiatriazole. B3LYP/6-31G* calculations also show that the structure of singlet thiobenzoylnitrene is analogous to that of related acylnitrenes, with a significant bonding interaction between the nitrogen and sulfur. Triplet thiobenzoylnitrene, on the other hand, is predicted computationally to have a biradical structure.

The 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl group is shown to be an effective protecting group for diazeniumdiolates. O(2)-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl)-substituted diazeniumdiolates display enhanced thermal stability, but efficiently release nitric oxide (NO) in pH 7.4 aqueous solutions. A lipophilic analogue incorporated into hydrophobic polymers shows NO surface flux rates comparable to that of the natural endothelium. Importantly, these polymer formulations also show significantly enhanced biocompatibility in vivo with use of a porcine implant model.