Photoinduced Reactivity of Red Phosphorus and Ethanol at High Pressure

Dissociation of ethanol by two-photon absorption of UVML laser emission centered at 350 nm was employed to trigger a chemical reaction at ambient temperature with red phosphorus for pressures ranging between 0.2 and 1.5 GPa. The reaction products, identified by infrared and Raman spectroscopy, indicate a quite selective reactivity ascribable to the two main dissociation channels involving the splitting of the O–H and C–O bonds of ethanol. The ethoxy radical, obtained through the splitting of the O–H bond, has been identified as the main responsible for the phosphorus reactivity, giving rise to triethylphosphate.