Switch-over of the Mechanism of the Primary Processes in the Photo-oxidation of Xanthene Dyes as Revealed by the Oxygen Consumption Experiments

The oxygen up-take of irradiated aqueous solutions of xanthene dyes has been investigated by means of Warburg’s apparatus, and evidence for a switch-over from a D–O to a D–D mechanism is obtained from the variation of dye-concentration. This view is supported by the photobleaching rate and the oxygen concentration effect at high eosine concentrations (∼10−4M).The quautum yields (γo2) of the consumption are estimated and it is found that γo2(D–D) is larger than γo2(D–O).