Chemically induced dynamic electron polarization (CIDEP) spectroscopy of radicals generated in the photoreactions of polyols: the mechanisms of radical dehydration

A large group of polarized radicals derived pom polyatomic alcohols heretofore unexplored by CIDEP techniques are characterized in viscous media. The TR ESR technique is shown to be capable of unravelling the mechanisms of the complicated dehydration processes of the primary olyl radicals in neutral, acidic and basic media.     

Molecular design of biologically active biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications

The objective of this research is to synthesize synthetic biodegradable polymers that would have biological functions similar to nitric oxide. Polyglycolide (PGA) was the synthetic biodegradable polymer and 4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxy (Tempamine) was chosen as the source of nitroxyl radicals. Tempamine nitroxyl radicals were chemically incorporated into the carboxylic acid chain ends of PGA macromolecules via amide linkage. The kinetics of in vitro hydrolytic release of Tempamine nitroxyl radicals from the host PGA in buffered media at 37 °C was studied. Tempamine nitroxyl radicals were released into the media via cleavage of either ester linkages in the PGA segments or/and the amide linkage between Tempamine and the PGA segments. The duration of hydrolysis would determine the type of degradation products that were different in the segmental length of the PGA component. A preliminary in vitro cell culture study of this new generation of biologically active biodegradable polymers indicated that it was able to retard the proliferation of smooth muscle cells as pure nitric oxide does.     

Studies on some radical transfer reactions. Part I. Hydrogen atom abstraction from some organic substrates by ȮH radicals

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate was carried out in aqueous and nonaqueous media in the presence of some sulfonated and carboxylic organic compounds, hydroxyl radicals generated from hydrogen peroxide being used as initiators of polymerization. The occurrence of radical transfer reactions by way of hydrogen atom abstraction from the organic substrates by the ?H radicals was demonstrated by the detection of sulfonate and carboxyl endgroups in the respective polymers. It was found that the radical transfer reactions were more favored in aqueous media than in nonaqueous systems.     

Decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide in the systems of normal and reverse micelles formed by cationic surfactants

Decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide into free radicals in aqueous and organic media in the presence of cationic surfactants at 37°C is studied by the method of inhibitors using quercetin as an acceptor of radicals. It is found that cationic surfactants catalyze the decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide into radicals, the catalytic effect in an organic medium being higher than that in an aqueous solution. Catalytic action of surfactants greatly depends on the counterion nature. Cetyltrimethylammonium chloride has the highest catalytic activity. Characteristics of surface activity of some cationic surfactants and hydroperoxides are obtained.     

Radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks in dependence on protein concentration and under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Double-stranded DNA alone and with serum albumin in eight different weight ratios were irradiated with X-rays in phosphate buffer in air-free and aerated media. Double-strand breaks (dsb) were determined by electrophoresis. The oxygen enhancement ratio for dsb increased with increasing protein concentration from 0.8 to 3.0, presumably caused by the reaction of protein peroxyl radicals. In air-free media, serum albumin protects against radiation-induced double-strand breaking more effectively than in the presence of air, because a part of DNA radicals does not form dsb, but DNA–protein crosslinks.     

Cage reactions in the photolysis of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-pentanone

The product quantum yields in the photolysis of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-pentanone have been measured in homogeneous solvents of different viscosities, in micellar solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate, and in dioctadecyl ammonium chloride vesicles. The product quantum yield in n-heptane was found to be 1. This value decreases to 0.5 in paraffin oil as a consequence of geminate recombination. In the presence of free radical scavengers, the extent of geminate disproportionation can be evaluated from the yields of isobutene and 2,2-dimethyl propionaldehyde. From these yields and the geminate recombination yields the total amount of geminate processes and the disproportionation-to-combination ratio for caged radicals are estimated. It is found that micelles provide the most efficient cages. In these media only about 10% of the radicals avoid cage processes. The disproportionation-to-combination ratio of tert-butyl and pivaloyl radicals was found to be extremely media dependent. The measured values ranged from about 0.2 in paraffin oil to 0.8 in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride micelles.     

Effect of isotopic composition on free-radical reactions in polyolefins

On substitution of hydrogen by deuterium the radiation yield of free radicals in polyolefins decreases ca. 2-fold. Under ultraviolet illumination (γ < 300 nm) in deuterated polyethylene (DPE), allyl radicals are converted into alkyl radicals (hfs constants a = 3.2 Oe, a = 4.4 Oe); in deuterated polypropylene (DPP), allyl and peroxide radicals are converted into alkyl radicals (a = 3.7 Oe). At 77°K under ultraviolet light in γ-irradiated polyethylene (PE) and DPE, triene, tetraene, dienyl, trienyl, and tetraenyl radicals are formed. Deuterium substitution has no effect on absorption spectra of polyenyl radicals and polyenes. In polyolefins the quantum yields of photochemical reactions of allyl and peroxide radicals are 0.1–1.0. Photochemical reactions of peroxide radicals result in a radical concentration increase of ca. 3-fold. In reactions of peroxide radicals in the dark, a kinetic isotope effect has been observed. Activation energies of substitution reactions of peroxide radicals are in PE, 9.3 ± 0.3 kcal/mole; in DPE, 10.2 ± 0.3 kcal/mole; in PP, 12.7 ± 0.4 kcal/mole; in DPP, 14 ± 0.5 kcal/mole. Possible mechanisms of the effect of polyolefin isotope composition on radical formation by high energy irradiation as well as on photochemical and dark reactions of free radicals are discussed. The effect of the energy released from phototransformations and radiationless deactivation of macroradicals on the migration of free valence is also considered.     

Studies of the photolysis of aromatic esters in solution and in polymer films

Photolysis of 2-naphthylenemethyl-1-naphthylacetate (NMNA) and 9-anthracenemethyl-9-anthrylacetate (AMAA) yields radicals of methylnaphthalene and methylanthracene, respectively. The longevity of these radicals makes them suitable probes for studying primary and secondary cage recombination processes in solution, and in polymeric matrices. 2,2-Di-(4-tert-octylphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) (DPPH) is utilized as a radical trap to report on radicals which escape from the solvent cage. Quantum yields for photolysis of NMNA and AMAA were determined in solution and in poly(methyl methacrylate) films. Both unimolecular and bimolecular processes are suppressed as a result of the greater effective viscosity in polymeric media.     

Photochemical stability of nitroxyl derivatives

Different classes of compounds with imidazoline radicals were studied by EPR spectroscopy. The effects of light and atmospheric oxygen on the stability of these compounds in alcoholic solutions were investigated. The study of the photochemical stability of rhodium complexes with imidazoline radicals in oxygen-containing and oxygen-free media demonstrated that the photolysis of these compounds in the absence of oxygen causes the disappearance of paramagnetism. The reaction is reversible, and the observed effects are due to the formation of hydroxylamine groups via the interaction between excited nitroxyl radicals and the solvent in the absence of oxygen. When present in this system, oxygen deexcites the nitroxyl groups. A similar effect of oxygen is observed for nitroxyl derivatives of the fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀. A quite different photolytic behavior is shown by copper complexes with bidentately bonded nitroxyl radicals. These compounds are stable to photolysis in both oxygen-containing and oxygen-free media. It was demonstrated using phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) as the spin trap that photolysis in the absence of the trap results in the decomposition of the copper complex to copper metal. It is assumed that PBN incorporates into the complex at free coordination sites and competes with the copper ion in its reaction with the earlier formed radical of the ligand.     

Generation of Glycosyl Radicals from Glycosyl Sulfoxides and Its Use in the Synthesis of C‐linked Glycoconjugates

We here report glycosyl sulfoxides appended with an aryl iodide moiety as readily available, air and moisture stable precursors to glycosyl radicals. These glycosyl sulfoxides could be converted to glycosyl radicals by way of a rapid and efficient intramolecular radical substitution event. The use of this type of precursors enabled the synthesis of various complex C‐linked glycoconjugates under mild conditions. This reaction could be performed in aqueous media and is amenable to the synthesis of glycopeptidomimetics and carbohydrate‐DNA conjugates.     

Carboxylate-substituted radicals from phenylselenide derivatives. Designs on models for coenzyme B12-dependent enzyme-catalyzed rearrangements

Laser flash photolysis (266 nm) of alpha- and beta-phenylselenyl esters, carboxylic acids, and carboxylates in aqueous acetonitrile media gave the corresponding radicals by homolytic cleavage of the phenylselenyl groups. In the beta-substituted systems, acid and carboxylate radicals reacted in intramolecular reporter reactions with approximately equal rate constants. For the alpha-substituted systems, an ester- and carboxylic acid-substituted radical reacted in an intramolecular reporter reaction with the same rate constants, but the analogous alpha-carboxylate radical, a radical anion, reacted an order of magnitude less rapidly and with an activation energy that is 3 kcal/mol greater than that found for analogues. A kinetic titration of the equilibrating alpha-acid and alpha-carboxylate radicals gave pKa = 4.6. The results indicate that alpha-ester and alpha-carboxylic acid radicals are unlikely to be appropriate models for alpha-carboxylate radicals, the intermediates formed in a large subset of coenzyme B12-dependent enzyme-catalyzed reactions.     

Theoretical investigation of the structures and properties of fluoromethyl peroxyl radicals

The equilibrium geometries, harmonic vibrational frequencies, charge distributions, spin density distributions, dipole moments, electron affinities (EAs), and C? O bond dissociation energies (BDEs) of HO, CH₃O, CH₂FO, CHF₂O, and CF₃O peroxyl radicals have been calculated using ab initio molecular orbital theory and density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level. The C? H bond dissociation energies of the parent fluoromethanes have been calculated using the same levels of theory. Both the MP2(full) and B3LYP methods, using the 6‐31G(d,p) basis set, are found to be capable of accurately predicting the geometries of peroxyl radicals. Electron correlation accounts for ～25% of the C? H BDE of fluoromethanes and for ～50% of the C? O BDE of the corresponding peroxyl radicals. The B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) method is found to be comparable to high ab initio levels in predicting C? O BDEs of studied peroxyl radicals and C? H BDEs of the parent alkanes. The progressive fluorine substitution of hydrogen atoms in methyl peroxyl radicals results in shortening of the C? O bond, lengthening of the O? O bond, an increase (decrease) of the spin density on the terminal (inner) oxygen, a decrease in the dipole moments, and an increase in electron affinities. Both C? O BDEs and EAs of peroxyl radicals (RO) correlate well with Taft σ* substituent constants for the R group in peroxyl radicals. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004     

The Elucidation of Peroxyl Radical Reactions in Aqueous Solution with the Help of Radiation-Chemical Methods

Whenever free radicals are formed, independent of whether this occurs thermally, is induced by UV or ionizing irradiation, or takes place in redox reactions, they are converted rapidly into the corresponding peroxyl radicals in the presence of oxygen. Peroxyl radical reactions in aqueous environments are observed not only in aquatic systems (e.g., rivers, lakes and oceans) but also in the living cell and to a considerable degree even in the atmosphere (in water droplets). The peroxyl radical chemistry occurring in this medium is often very different from that observed in the gas phase or in organic solvents. In spite of the great importance of these reactions in medicine (for example in anti-cancer irradiation therapy and ischaemia) there have been comparatively few studies of peroxyl reactions in aqueous media. Radiation-chemical techniques such as pulse radiolysis offer the best means for carrying out such studies, so that it is not surprising that the majority of the information available in this area has been obtained with the help of radiation-chemical methods. The radiation chemistry of water can be con trolled in such a manner that the main products are ^˙OH radicals (90 % yield), which react with substrate molecules to give substrate radicals and in the presence of oxygen to give substrate peroxyl radicals. The experimental conditions can also be varied in such a way that HO/O radicals can be formed in 100 % yield and caused to react with substrates. We therefore have a simple access to these intermediates, which are extremely important in biological systems. A detailed product analysis, supported by kinetic studies carried out with the help of pulse radiolysis, has been used to clarify the chemistry of a series of peroxyl radicals, so that sufficient material is now available to justify a review of the variety of the peroxyl radical reactions studied by means of radiation-chemical methods. A more general survey of the physical properties of the peroxyl radicals and their unimolecular and bimolecular reactions will be followed by a discussion of selected examples of various classes of substance. Because of the great biological importance of radical-induced DNA damage this area will also be treated briefly.     

Cobaloximes as Environmentally Advantageous Alternatives to Organotin Hydrides in Iodine Atom Abstraction Routes to Benzyl Radicals

High yields of alkyl radicals derived from alkylcobaloximes have been achieved using tungsten light (or in some cases ultrasound) radiation in both organic and aqueous media. These improved yields are obtained when pyridine (the usual base ligand) is replaced by suitably bulky lone-pair donors or water. The alkyl radicals so generated take part in iodine abstraction reactions with benzyl iodide giving benzyl radicals which may be trapped in near-quantitative yield with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxy (TEMPO) or in good yield with lepidinium (4-methylquinolinium) trifluoroethanoate or lepidinium camphor-10-sulphonate. The usual drawbacks of cost and tedious work-up procedures associated with the more commonly used organotin hydride reagents are avoided.     

Studies in some new initiator systems for vinyl polymerization. III. Amine–halogen systems as redox initiators

Amine–halogen redox systems are very efficient initiators of polymerization of a number of vinyl monomers in benzene media and are rather inefficient initiators in aqueous media. A large number of aliphatic amines and a few aromatic amines have been used. Among the halogens, chlorine and bromine are very effective. Iodine initiates with a few amines only. Endgroups incorporated are halogen and amine totalling an average of nearly one per chain in the case of polymerization in benzene media and 0.5–0.7 per chain in polymerization in aqueous media. In the light of endgroup results, a mechanism of initiation through halogen and amine radicals has been suggested.     

Radical-based alkylation of guanine derivatives in aqueous medium

The radical-based alkylation of 8-bromoguanosine (1a) and 8-bromo-2'-deoxyguanosine (1b) at the C8 position has been investigated in aqueous solutions. Alkyl radicals were generated by scavenging of the primary species of γ-radiolysis by the alcohol substrate. These reactions result in the efficient formation of intermolecular C-C bonds in aqueous media, by using the reactivity of α-hydroxyalkyl radicals derived from alcohols with 1a and 1b. A mechanism for the formation of C8 guanine alkylated adducts has been proposed, based on the quantification of radiation chemical yields for the disappearance of starting material and the formation of all products. Two α-hydroxyalkyl radicals are needed to form an alkylated guanine, the first one adding to C8 followed by ejection of Br(-) with formation of guanyl adduct and the second one acting as reducing agent of the guanyl adduct.     

Antioxidant activity of trans-resveratrol toward hydroxyl and hydroperoxyl radicals: a quantum chemical and computational kinetics study

In this work, we have carried out a systematic study of the antioxidant activity of trans-resveratrol toward hydroxyl ((?)OH) and hydroperoxyl ((?)OOH) radicals in aqueous simulated media using density functional quantum chemistry and computational kinetics methods. All possible mechanisms have been considered: hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), sequential electron proton transfer (SEPT), and radical adduct formation (RAF). Rate constants have been calculated using conventional transition state theory in conjunction with the Collins-Kimball theory. Branching ratios for the different paths contributing to the overall reaction, at 298 K, are reported. For the global reactivity of trans-resveratrol toward (?)OH radicals, in water at physiological pH, the main mechanism of reaction is proposed to be the sequential electron proton transfer (SEPT). However, we show that trans-resveratrol always reacts with (?)OH radicals at a rate that is diffusion-controlled, independent of the reaction pathway. This explains why trans-resveratrol is an excellent but very unselective (?)OH radical scavenger that provides antioxidant protection to the cell. Reaction between trans-resveratrol and the hydroperoxyl radical occurs only by phenolic hydrogen abstraction. The total rate coefficient is predicted to be 1.42 × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), which is much smaller than the ones for reactions of trans-resveratrol with (?)OH radicals, but still important. Since the (?)OOH half-life time is several orders larger than the one of the (?)OH radical, it should contribute significantly to trans-resveratrol oxidation in aqueous biological media. Thus, trans-resveratrol may act as an efficient (?)OOH, and also presumably (?)OOR, radical scavenger.     

Effect of water-soluble polyaniline on the reduction of oxygen and the reaction of its active forms with antioxidants

Differential voltammetry as well as UV–vis spectrophotometry and impedance spectroscopy were used to show that polyaniline doped with polystyrenesulfonic acid mediates the reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide in aqueous media by facilitating the formation of hydroxyl radicals and increasing the sensitivity of the electrochemical method for determining the antioxidant activity of sulfur-containing amino acids.