J 1H-Pyrazole, 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-3,3,5,5-tetramethyl-4-methylene-/ Photolysis / Photoreduction / Extrusion of molecular nitrogenThe photolysis of the 4-methylene-1-pyrazoline 1 is reinvestigated under a variety of experimental conditions. Direct irradiation (350-nm light) affords the alkylidenecyclopropanes 4 and 5 as predominant products, besides molecular nitrogen, and in a constant ratio of (55 * 1): (45 T l), which is not altered in the presence of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) or piperylene nor in [D,]acetone solution. When oxygen is excluded, an additional compound is formed whose proportion depends on the capability of the solvent to act as hydrogen donor. In the presence of three equivalents of DABCO, it eventually becomes the major product. The 4-methylenepyrazolidine structure 13 of the novel photoproduct is established by NMR spectroscopy, a comparison with an authentic sample, obtained in quantitative yield by zinc reduction of 1, and reoxidation to 1 as well. An extensive investigation to detect any traces of the 4-isopropylidene-2-pyrazoline 6 in the irradiated solutions has failed. This result is at variance with recent disclosures reporting evidence for a turnaround photoisomerization of 1 via diazenylallyl diradicals. The contribution of photoreduction to the decay of the first excited singlet state of reluctant azo compounds is emphasized.Numerous investigations have been concerned with the mechanism and applications of the photoextrusion of molecular nitrogen from 4-alkylidene-l-pyra~olines~~~). Irradiation of such azo compounds represents a convenient route to alkylidenecyclopropanes and to matrix-isolated trimethylenemethanes as well4), which have been invoked as intermediates in solution and gas-phase photolysis. Following the pioneering work of Andrews and Day5), Bushby and coworkers6' have studied the regioselectivity of alkylidenecyclopropane formation in the direct photolysis of 4-alkylidene-3,3,5,5-tetramethyl-l-pyrazolines, i.e. the ratio of the least-motion products vs. the thermodynamically favoured non-least-motion products'', e.g. 1 --f 4, 56,R). The observed increase in regioselectivity with the number and bulkiness of substituents at the double bond has been rationalized by simple working hypotheses among other possible more elaborate ones. The favoured explanation involved the initial formation of bis-orthogonal trimethylenemethanes, e. g. 2, which may cyclize to the least-motion product, e.g. 4, or equilibrate to a greater or lesser extent -depending on the bulkiness of the substituents -with mono-orthogonal trimethylenemethanes, e. g. 3, assumed as precursors for both isomeric alkylidenecyclopropanes, viz. 4 and 56). In fact, this hypothesis could be supported later by estimates of the influence of methyl substituents on trimethylenemethane diradicals in the planar and mono-orthogonal geometriesg1.More recently, Adam and Dorr have detected traces (ca. 0.5%) of a third product in the direct photolysis of 1 in pentane solution. The trace component is identified as the 2...