The triplet sensitized photo-decomposition of azocumene into nitrogen and cumyl radicals is investigated by time resolved EPR and optical absorption spectroscopy. It is found that the cumyl radicals carry an initial spin polarization and are formed with a yield that depends on both the solution viscosity and the strength of an external magnetic ®eld. The phenomenon is interpreted in terms of a depopulation-type triplet mechanism, i.e. a competition between decay into radicals and fast, triplet sublevel selective intersystem crossing (ISC) back to the azocumene ground state. Analysis of the data yields relative rate constants for the ISC processes and the cleavage reaction of triplet azocumene. The energetically lower zero ®eld triplet substate is depopulated by ISC about seven times faster than the upper one and about two orders of magnitude faster than depopulation by cleavage occurs. Cleavage probably takes place on the nanosecond time scale, while the ISC must proceed on the picosecond scale, as at elevated viscosity it becomes faster than the rotational Brownian motion of the molecule.