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Pagine di storia

Vol. 4 No. 4 (2025): Chimica nella Scuola n. 4 2025

L’isomerizzazione fotochimica del carvone, la prima reazione fotochimica stereospecifica

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1473/cns.v4i4.266
Submitted
17 November 2025
Published
18-11-2025

Abstract

Ciamician in 1908 described the first stereospecific photochemical reaction irradiating a natural occurring chiral terpene, carvone. Ciamician proposed a structure for the obtained photoisomeric product without a study devoted to confirming it. Some year later, Sernagiotto proposed, on the basis of some incomplete experimental results, a new structure for the photoisomer. Büchi proposed, on the basis of other experimental but not conclusive results, to return to the structure proposed by Ciamician. Finally, NMR spectrum of the photoisomer, performed in 1965, confirmed the Ciamician structure.

References

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