| abstract |
A photoinitiator is provided which exhibits excellent photosensitivity, yields colorless products, and is usable in thick layer UVcurable coating. A novel chemical compound is also provided which is usable for the photoinitiator. Photocurable composition is also provided which has these properties. The photoinitiator consists essentially of a compound having a molicular weight of 1000 or less, and having a chemical structure represented by the following formula (1), wherein R<3> and R<4> independently denote a specific alkyl group, and R<1> and R<2> independently denote an electron attracting group or a specific alkyl group, and weight percentage of a chemical structure element represented by the following formula (2), which is expressed in formula (1) based on the total molecular weight of the compound, is 17% to 54% by mass. |