To clarify the cis-trans isomerization mechanism of simple alkenes on the triplet excited state surface, the photochemistry of acyclic and cyclic vinyl ketones with a p-methoxyacetophenone moiety as a built-in triplet sensitizer (1 and 2, respectively) was compared. When irradiated, ketone 1 produces its cis-isomer, whereas ketone 2 does not yield any photoproducts. Laser flash photolysis of ketone 1 yields a transient spectrum with lambda(max) similar to 400 nm (tau similar to 125 ns). This transient is assigned to the first triplet excited state (T-1) of 1, which presumably decays to form a triplet biradical (1BR) that is shorter lived than the triplet ketone. In comparison, laser flash photolysis of 2 reveals two transients (tau similar to 20 and 440 ns), which are assigned to T-1 of 2 and triplet biradical 2BR, respectively. Density functional theory calculations support the characterization of the triplet excited states and the biradical intermediates formed upon irradiation of ketones 1 and 2 and allow a comparison of the physical properties of the biradical intermediates. As the biradical centers in 2BR are stabilized by conjugation, 2BR is more rigid than 1BR. Therefore, the longer lifetime of 2BR can be attributed to less-efficient intersystem crossing to the ground state.