Photochemical Cleavage of Dibenzoylmethane and Curcumin in the Presence of N,N-Dimethylaniline in Methanol

Photochemically stable dibenzoylmethane and curcumin were cleaved dramatically when they were irradiated in the presence of N,N-dimethylaniline in methanol with 300 nm UV light. Several products such as benzil, secondary product derived from 1,4-diphenyl-1,4-butanedione, and unidentified compound were observed from the photoreactions of dibenzoylmethane with N,N-dimethylaniline. It was also found that one of the primary fragments produced by irradiation of curcumin in methanol were coupled with N,N-dimethylaniline to give a new enone compound, i.e., 1-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-but-3-en-2-one, as the major product.