Ultrafast Decarboxylation of Organic Peroxides in Solution: Interplay of Different Spectroscopic Techniques, Quantum Chemistry, and Theoretical Modeling

Time-resolved studies of the decomposition of organic peroxides are of fundamental interest because the time scales of formation and subsequent decay of free-radical intermediates determine the initiator efficiency in radical polymerization reactions. The photoinduced multistep decarboxylation of organic peroxides (e.g. dinaphthoyl peroxide, see scheme) in solution was monitored in real time and analyzed with quantum-chemical methods.