Dihydrodioxetobenzodioxins: Synthesis and Chemiluminescence

The novel “high-energy” dioxetanes (2), prepared by photooxygenation of the 1,4-benzodioxins (1), and isolated chromatographically, decompose with emission of light on heating to give the pyrocatechol derivatives (3) in quantitative yields. The singlet and triplet quantum yields were determined by energy-transfer chemiluminescence.