E. Kim, Manfred Christl, J. K. Kochl

• The transient yellow color observed in the cycloaddition of homobenzvalene (HB) with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) is associated with the charge-transfer complex [HB, TCNE). The deliberate photoexcitation of [HB,TCNE) affords a mixture of charge-transfer cycloadducts (1, 2, and 3) that differs from that obtained in thermal cycloaddition. The relationship of {HB t TCNE•) radical-ion pair (as the critical reactive intermediate in charge-transfer cycloaddition) to the activation process for thermal cycloaddition is discussed.