Photochemistry of Michler's ketone in cyclohexane and alcohol solvents

The triplet lifetime of Michler's ketone has been measured in cyclohexane, isopropanol and ethanol and has been found to vary only slightly between solvents. In the light of these results, the photoreactivity of the ketone is interpreted as arising from population of an excited 3nπ* state from a lower-lying 3charge-transfer state.