THE PHOSPHORESCENCE OF TRIFLUOROMETHYL AND METHYLBENZENES

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Xerox Corporation, Rochester, New York. $^{1}$ D.M. Haaland and G.C. Nieman, ``Deuterium, Methyl, and Solvent Effects on the Phosphorescence Lifetime of Benzene,"" J. Chem. Phys., accepted for publication.Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, , Muskingum CollegeFollowing the observation that phosphorescence lifetimes of benzene derivatives were substantially lengthened by the use of perfluorocarbon $solvents^{1}$, an investigation of the effect of fluorine substitution on the aromatic solute was begun. All compounds studied which had fluorine directly attached to the aromatic ring failed to show any phosphorescence at $63^{\circ} K$ in a methylcyclohexane matrix $(C_{7}H_{14}$ or $C_{7}F_{14})$ which could not be assigned as impurity emission. However, trifluoromethyl $(-CF_{3})$ derivatives have phosphorescence lifetimes and spectra resembling those of the corresponding methyl substituted compounds. These similarities and differences will be discussed along with data for partially substituted side chains