Photoinduced oxidation of N-vinylcarbazole in a functionalized oil-in-water microemulsion

The photoprocesses of N-vinylcarbazole (NVC) solubilized in the interior of an oil-in-water microemulsion (CTA-ci, hexadecyltrimethylammonium counter ion) functionalized by an oxidizing agent, S2O2−8, were studied using ruby laser and spectrofluorimeter techniques. It was found that the excited singlet state of NVC reacts quickly with the persulfate to form its radical cation, exhibiting absorption maxima at 790, 700, 630 and 500 nm. Upon increasing the concentration of NVC substrate, a shift is observed in the absorption maximum of the cation at 790—770 nm, indicative of the formation of a dimer cation, (NVC)+2. This formation is further upheld by the augmentation of the decay rate of the cation with increasing substrate concentration.