Photochemical reaction of phenyl azide studied by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy

The photochemical process in a phenyl azide (C6H5N3) film prepared on a substrate held at 77 K was studied by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. In the HeI spectrum of the phenyl azide film, on irradiation, the first and third bands related to the azide moiety disappeared, while the bands due to the C6H5N skeleton became gradually broader. This observation was interpreted in terms of the photodecomposition process of phenyl azide via nitrene, which then undergoes intermolecular insertion reactions. (AIP)