A novel photochemical 1,4-acyl migration in enol esters. The photolysis of enol acetates of 3-phenylpropiophenones

Abstract Photolysis of the enol acetates 1a,b gives the 1,4-diketones 4a,b by a mechanism involving a primary homolytic carbonyl—oxygen bond cleavage, followed by 1,2-hydrogen shift and in cage recombination.