The triplet states of ketones having a β-aryl
substituent, such as 2 and 3, decay in solution
by a
charge transfer interaction between this aryl group and the excited
carbonyl. In the solid state,
this interaction also provides an efficient mode of deactivation for
3, but not for 2, reflecting the
proximity between the π-ring system in 3, but not in
2, where the molecules crystallize (X-ray) in
a stretched conformation. In the case of 3, the triplet
lifetime in the solid state is 420 ns for the
pure R or S enantiomers, but 733 ns for the
racemic crystals, showing an interesting case of chiral
discrimination. Powder X-ray and solid state NMR data suggest that
conformational and packing
differences between the enantiomers and racemic crystals are
responsible for differences in the
efficiency of intramolecular deactivation.