Quinone Methide Intermediates in Organic Photochemistry

Quinone methides are widely encountered reactive intermediates in the chemistry of phenols and related compounds. This paper summarizes our recent progress in uncovering new and general photochemical methods for forming quinone methides of various structural types in aqueous solution. Their mechanism of formation and subsequent chemistry are also discussed. New examples of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) have been uncovered in these studies. We have also discovered that appropriately designed biphenyls and terphenyls display photochemistry that is best rationalized by highly polarized and pla- nar excited states of these ring systems, which can efficiently lead to the corresponding extended quinone methides.