A photochemical method for generating hydrogen-bonded nitrile complexes and nitrile dimers in low-temperature matrices

A photochemical method is presented with which a large number of nitrile-HCN complexes and nitrile dimers may be selectively produced for spectroscopic analysis. The method consists of isolating suitable tetrazine systems in low-temperature matrices. Subsequently, the matrix is irradiated with UV light to produce the desired nitrile-HCN complex or the nitrile dimer. This is demonstrated by presenting the infrared spectra of the benzonitrile-HCN complex and the acetonitrile dimer which were generated photochemically from monophenyltetrazine and 1,4-dimethyltetrazine. © 1980 American Chemical Society.