Singlet molecular oxygen (1.DELTA.gO2) formation upon irradiation of an oxygen (3.SIGMA.g-O2)-organic molecule charge-transfer absorption band

Singlet molecular oxygen ({sup 1}{Delta}{sub g}O{sub 2}) phosphorescence ({sup 3}{Sigma}{sub g}{sup {minus}}O{sub 2} {l arrow} {sup 1}{Delta}{sub g}O{sub 2}: 1270 nm) has been observed in a time-resolved experiment subsequent to pulsed UV laser irradiation of the oxygen ({sup 3}{Sigma}{sub g}{sup {minus}}O{sub 2})-organic molecule charge-transfer bands of liquid aromatic hydrocarbons (mesitylene, p-xylene, o-xylene, toluene, benzene), ethers (tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, glyme, diglyme, triglyme), alcohols (methanol, propanol), and aliphatic hydrocarbons (cyclohexane, cyclooctane, decahydronaphthalene). Although {sup 1}{Delta}{sub g}O{sub 2} could originate from a variety of different processes in these oxygenated solvent systems, we have used the results of several independent experiments to indicate that an oxygen-solvent charge-transfer (CT) state is the {sup 1}{Delta}{sub g}O{sub 2} precursor. Other transient species have also been observed in time-resolved absorption experiments subsequent to pulsed UV irradiation of the oxygen-solvent CT bands. Some of these molecular transients, or species derived from these intermediates, may be responsible for an observed increase in the rate of {sup 1}{Delta}{sub g}O{sub 2} decay under certain conditions.