Photochemistry of purine systems, part III Photoreactions of theophylline with alcohols in the presence of aliphatic ketones

Photochemical reactions of theophylline with primary and secondary alcohols in the presence of aliphatic ketones result in substitution of an a-hydroxyalkyl group for the hydrogen atom at C-8 position. The results indicate that both the a-hydroxyalkyl radicals derived by H-abstraction from alcohol and the ketyl radicals generated by photoreduction of ketone are involved in the reactions.