Electronic structure of substituted bicycloheptanones (camphors)

He I photoelectron spectra of some camphor derivatives have been recorded and are assigned on the basis of correlations with the spectra of related molecules. The spectra reported in this work together with those reported previously form a camphor database for study of electronic structure interactions between functional groups themselves and between groups and the bicycloalkane skeleton. The unsymmetrical camphor skeleton is found to be a poor relay for σ-π interactions.