1H NMR aided elucidation of products derived from photodegradation of ethyl 3-azido-4,6-difluorobenzoate in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol

The major products formed upon photolysis of ethyl 3-azido-4,6-difluorobenzoate in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol-d3 has been elucidated by 1H NMR analysis of the product mixture. Among the products formed and structurally elucidated was a hitherto unreported product formed during photolysis of aryl azides, namely azoxybenzene 19. The structural assignments of the major components of the reaction mixture were aided by comparison with 1H NMR data from synthetic reference materials and compound isolation. MS, MS/MS, and HPLC analysis as well as UV spectroscopy was also employed in order to confirm and aid the structural analysis.