The radical anions of a series of substituted a-(ary1oxy) acetophenones have been generated by trapping the solvated electron produced by 355-nm laser-induced photoionization of 4, 4'-dimethoxystilbene in either acetonitrile or dimethylformamide (DMF). The radical anion of the parent ketone, a-phenoxyacetophenone, has A,,, at 500 nm and decays with a rate constant 7 x lo5 sI. This rate constant reflects the rate of P-cleavage to ...