Photolytic decomposition of dibenzylic sulfites

The photolytic decay of a library of para-substituted dibenzylic sulfites has been evaluated by UV radiation in a Srinivasan–Griffin–Rayonet photochemical reactor in various deuterated solvents. The decay for each dibenzylic sulfite was examined with respect to Swain and Lupton’s field constant, F . The rate of photolytic decay varies depending on the identity of the benzyl substituents. Furthermore, it has been observed that the solvent affects both the rate of sulfite photolytic decay as well as final product distribution.