Solvent dielectric delimited nitro–nitrito photorearrangement in a perylenediimide derivative

The discovery of vibrant excited-state dynamics and distinctive photochemistry has established nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as an exhilarating class of organic compounds. Herein, we report the atypical photorearrangement of nitro-perylenediimide (NO(2)-PDI) to nitrito-perylenediimide (ONO-PDI), triggered by visible-light excitation and giving rise to linkage isomers in the polar aprotic solvent acetonitrile. ONO-PDI has been isolated and unambiguously characterized using standard spectroscopic, spectrometric, and elemental composition techniques. Although nitritoaromatic compounds are conventionally considered to be crucial intermediates in the photodissociation of nitroaromatics, experimental evidence for this has not been observed heretofore. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy combined with computational investigations revealed the prominence of a conformationally relaxed singlet excited-state (S(CR)(1)) of NO(2)-PDI in the photoisomerization pathway. Theoretical transition state (TS) analysis indicated the presence of a six-membered cyclic TS, which is pivotal in connecting the S(CR)(1) state to the photoproduct state. This article addresses prevailing knowledge gaps in the field of organic linkage isomers and provides a comprehensive understanding of the unprecedented photoisomerization mechanism operating in the case of NO(2)-PDI.