Concentrations of a triplet excited state are enhanced in illuminated ice.

Photochemical reactions influence the fates and lifetimes of organic compounds in snow and ice, both through direct photoreactions and via photoproduced transient species such as hydroxyl radical (˙OH) and, perhaps, triplet excited states of organic compounds (i.e., triplets). While triplets can be important oxidants in atmospheric drops and surface waters, little is known of this class of oxidants in frozen samples. To investigate this, we examined the photoreaction of phenol with the triplet state of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (