Cleavage reactions of 4'-dimethylamino-2,2,2- tris- (p-dimethyl- aminopheny1)-acetophenone and a related compound

Ultraviolet irradiation of benzene solutions of 4′-dimethylamino-2,2,2-tris-(p-dimethyl-aminophenyl)-acetophenone (I) and 2,2-bis-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)-2-phenylacetophenone (II) and iodine gave crystal violet triiodide and malachite green triiodide, respectively. Irradiation of I in hexane and in the presence of air gave a brilliant blue solid III. Analytical and spectral data support a proposed structure which is a tetraoxide, or its ion-pair equivalent, of the homolytic cleavage products of I.