dioxetane directly in another aspect the invention provides a process for producing compounds having the formulas str21 wherein t r and y are as defined above r 5 can be independent of any of the substituents described above for r and r 2 and r 3 are each independently cyano ortho or para nitrophenyl ortho para or ortho ortho 39 dinitrophenyl comprising reacting a compound having the formula str22 with str23 wherein x is as defined above in the presence of a lewis base such as a tertiary amine e g a trialkylamine in an aprotic organic solvent such as an aromatic liquid e g benzene or toluene an ether e g glyme diglyme or a cyclic ether e g thf as an alternative to the use of halophosphates the analogous nor oxy compounds i e halophosphites can be used followed by oxidation at the phosphorous deprotection and photooxidation to the dioxetane in the case of the cyclic phosphite dioxetane formation and oxidation at the phosphorour can occur simultaneously in the presence of 3 o 2 1 o 2 mixtures found in the photooxidation reaction preferably the oxidation described above is effected photochemically by treating the olefin with singlet oxygen 1 o 2 in the presence of light 1 o 2 adds across the double bond to form the dioxetane as follows str24 the reaction is.