A variety of dibenzosuberenyl systems have been investigated by laser flash photolysis. Excitation of the parent alcohol, 5-dibenzosuberenol, in trifluoroethanol yields the corresponding carbocation via heterolysis of the C-OH bond. The carbocation shows a long- lived (> lo0 ps) absorption at 525 nm with a second band at 390 nm, is readily quenched by nucleophiles & (azide)= 1.1 x io9 h4-Is-l), a nd fluoresces with a lifetime of 35 ns. In other ...