The photo-Smiles rearrangement was studied for two homologues of N-[2-(4-nitrophenoxy)ethyl]aniline by laser photolysis, an importance being attached to the effect of the alkoxyl substituent on the reactive position. The nitro group enhances the substitution at the para position, but the alkoxyl group does not play a significant role in the photosubstitution of the molecules.
meta-favoring nucleophilic aromatic substitution was examined in a homologous series of 1-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-ω-anilinoalkanes. The structure of reaction products, the reaction kinetics, and absorption spectra of intermediates showed no appreciable alteration of reaction pathway by the introduction of 2-methoxyl group. The photoreaction was exclusively a para-directing nucleophilicsubstitution.