Ketoprofen: A Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Poses Interesting Mechanistic Questions

Gonzalo Cosa, L. J. Martínez and J.C. Scaiano

Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa

10 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada#

Abstract:

Photolysis of ketoprofen [2-(3-benzoylmethyl)propionic acid)] in aqueous or basic solutions leads to a strong transient signal at ca. 600 nm, attributed to a carbanion derived from excited state decarboxylation. Experiments under a variety of experimental conditions demonstrate that it is possible to observe the benzophenone-like triplet state of ketoprofen under conditions where the carbanion undergoes rapid decay. The results suggest that the process leading to the carbanion is not mediated by the triplet state.

# E-mail for authors: Gonzalo@, Lydia@ and Tito@photo.chem.uottawa.ca