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What is the mechanism for the photochemical reaction of benzophenone with methanol?

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The photochemical reaction of benzophenone with methanol involves a series of steps that ultimately lead to the formation of a benzopinacol product. Here is the mechanism for this reaction:1. Photoexcitation: Benzophenone absorbs a photon of light, which promotes an electron from its ground state to an excited state. This results in the formation of an excited singlet state of benzophenone  1Benzophenone* .2. Intersystem crossing: The excited singlet state of benzophenone undergoes intersystem crossing, a process where the electron changes its spin multiplicity, to form a more stable and longer-lived triplet state  3Benzophenone* .3. Hydrogen abstraction: The excited triplet state of benzophenone  3Benzophenone*  can abstract a hydrogen atom from methanol, generating a benzophenone ketyl radical  Benzophenone-H  and a methoxy radical  OCH3 .4. Radical recombination: The benzophenone ketyl radical  Benzophenone-H  can react with another benzophenone ketyl radical or with another excited triplet state of benzophenone  3Benzophenone*  to form a C-C bond, resulting in the formation of benzopinacol.Overall, the photochemical reaction of benzophenone with methanol results in the formation of benzopinacol through a series of steps involving photoexcitation, intersystem crossing, hydrogen abstraction, and radical recombination.
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