Triplet state properties and triplet-state-oxygen interactions of some linear and angular furocoumarins.

Linear and angular furocoumarins with conjugated external carbonyl substituents show higher triplet and singlet oxygen yields than the corresponding unsubstituted molecules. The efficiency of the oxygen quenching process to yield singlet oxygen is also higher for these substituted molecules. These changes are interpreted in terms of the "proximity effect" associated with two nearly degenerate n pi* and pi pi* excited states, and variations in the excess energy following furocoumarin triplet quenching by ground state triplet oxygen to yield singlet oxygen.