Most carbenes are highly reactive species and have short (millisecond to picosecond) lifetimes in fluid solution. This presents challenges to their direct observation and characterization relative to persistent molecules. There are two basic approaches to the direct observation of carbenes (1) low temperature matrix isolation spectroscopy under which conditions many carbenes have some persistence and (2) laser flash photolysis methods with micro, nano, pico and femtosecond time resolution. Examples from the authors laboratory will be presented along with examples of synergies between these two approaches. The direct observation of carbenes informs the control of existing synthetic methods and the development of new methods. These studies also provide unique tests of theory and stimulate the development of new theory. Unresolved questions requiring further experimental work and new theory development will be presented.

Award Address  (James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry sponsored by the ACS Northeastern Section). Direct observation of carbenes: From seconds to femtosecods

247th National Meeting (2014)

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