Singlet Oxygen Generation-Endoperoxide Thermolysis Kinetics

A polymeric endoperoxide compound was synthesized, deposited in thin films on a conductive surface, and heated to release excited oxygen. The polymer, 1,4-dimethyl-2-vinylnaphthalene, was photoperoxidized in 75 percent yield to give the endoperoxide, 2-PVNE. This polymer was then spin-coated onto Pyrex substrates with film thicknesses ranging from 20 to 250 nanometers. Heating of the polymer to approximately 100 deg C caused complete release of oxygen. Yield measurements using various film thicknesses revealed that the release of excited oxygen reaches a maximum for films approximately 40 nm thick. The percent yield at this optimum thickness, measured optically and with a titration method, was roughly 50 percent. The polymer surface area required for release of one mole of excited oxygen is on the order of 10,000 square meters. Keywords: Singlet delta oxygen; Endoperoxides; Endoperoxide polymer; Thin film deposition; Synthesis of Endoperoxides.