ESR studies of vinyl polymerization. II. Initial reactions of vinyl esters with redox systems in aqueous media

ESR measurements of transient radicals during redox polymerization of various vinyl esters in aqueous solutions have been made by using the rapid-mixing flow method. The initiation was by means of hydroxyl and amino radicals from the systems titanous chloride-hydrogen peroxide and titanous chloride-hydroxylamine, respectively. The well resolved hyperfine structures obtained at monomer concentrations of about 0.05 mole/1. are unambiguously assigned to the monomer radicals formed by addition of initiator radicals to monomers. At higher monomer concentrations, additional weak signals attributed to the growing polymer radicals were observed. The effect of reaction conditions on the signal intensity has been studied in particular for vinyl acetate. The coupling constants of monomer radicals from various vinyl esters (acetate, propionate, butyrate, crotonate, and isopropenyl acetate) were obtained and the spin densities calculated. From the ESR spectra, the monomer radicals have a conformation with the substituent R (R = HO or NH₂) of R? CH₂? CH(OCOR′) locked in a position above or below the radical plane. This is tentatively interpreted as due to formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds to ring structures or complexes with titanium ions. In addition, hydrogen abstraction reactions of some model compounds for poly(vinyl acetate) have been briefly studied in relation to chain transfer and grafting reactions.     

ESR studies on radical polymerization of vinyl ethers

ESR studies on the radical polymerization of vinyl ethers were performed from ?50°C to room temperature using di-tert-butylperoxide as a photoinitiator. Well resolved ESR spectra were assigned to propagating radicals of vinyl ethers. Their hyperfine splitting constants due to α-proton were about 16 G, being smaller than those of ethyl acrylate and vinyl acetate. The smaller constants is ascribed to a deviation of the propagating radicals from sp² hybrid structure. The reason why high polymers are not obtained from vinyl ethers by radical polymerization is discussed on the basis of information from the ESR studies.     

The effects of conjugation path variation on electron delocalization in phenoxyl-based systems

A number of persistent 2,6-di-tert-butylphenoxyl based radicals were synthesized as models for unpaired spin delocalization as a function of conjugation pathway, and were investigated by ESR and UV-vis spectroscopy. Phenoxyl spin delocalizes significantly onto a para-phenyl ring, but further delocalization through a meta-vinyl or meta-carbonyl linkage is not detectable by ESR hyperfine coupling. UV- vis spectra do show a red shift of the longest wavelength transition for a carbonyl-type substituent by comparison to a vinyl substituent in the meta-position of a para-phenyl group. By comparison, a para-styryl substituent on the phenoxyl causes very large spin delocalization from the phenoxyl unit, with the largest hyperfine coupling being found on the ethenyl unit of the assemblage. This large delocalization accounts for the reactivity of radicals that incorporate such units.     

Theoretical studies of alkyl radicals in the NaY and HY zeolites

Interplay of quantum mechanical calculations and experimental data on hyperfine coupling constants of ethyl radical in zeolites at several temperatures was engaged to study the geometries and binding energies and to predict the temperature dependence of hyperfine splitting of a series of alkyl radicals in zeolites for the first time. The main focus is on the hyperfine interaction of alkyl radicals in the NaY and HY zeolites. The hyperfine splitting for neutral free radicals and free radical cations is predicted for different zeolite environments. This information can be used to establish the nature of the muoniated alkyl radicals in the NaY and HY zeolites via muSR experiments. The muon hyperfine coupling constants of the ethane radical cation in these zeolites are very large with relatively little dependence on temperature. It was found that the intramolecular dynamics of alkyl free radicals are only weakly affected by their strong binding to zeolites. In contrast, the substrate binding has a significant effect on their intermolecular dynamics.     

Radiation-induced radicals in glucose-1-phosphate. II. DFT analysis of structures and possible formation mechanisms

Four radiation-induced carbon-centered radicals in dipotassium glucose-1-phosphate dihydrate single crystals are examined with DFT methods, consistently relying on a periodic computational scheme. Starting from a set of plausible radical models, EPR hyperfine coupling tensors are calculated for optimized structures and compared with data obtained from EPR/ENDOR measurements, which are described in part I of this work. In this way, an independent structural identification is made of all the radicals that were observed in the experiments (R1-R4) and tentative reaction schemes are proposed. Also, the first strong evidence for conformational freedom in sugar radicals is established: two species are found to have the same chemical composition but different conformations and consequently different hyperfine coupling tensors. Analysis of the calculated energies for all model compounds suggests that the radiation chemistry of sugars, in general, is kinetically and not necessarily thermodynamically controlled.     

Q-band EPR and ENDOR of low temperature X-irradiated beta-D-fructose single crystals

Beta-D-fructose single crystals were in situ X-irradiated at 80 K and measured using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) and ENDOR-induced EPR (EIE) techniques at Q-band (34 GHz) microwave frequencies. The measurements revealed the presence of at least four carbon-centered radicals stable at 80 K. By means of ENDOR angular variations in the three principal crystallographic planes, six proton hyperfine coupling tensors could be determined and were assigned to four different radicals by the aid of EIE. Two of the radicals exhibit only beta-proton hyperfine couplings and reveal almost identical EIE spectra. For the other two radicals, the major hyperfine splitting originates from a single alpha-proton hyperfine coupling and their EIE spectra were also quite similar. The similarity of the EIE spectra and hyperfine tensors led to the assumption that there are only two essentially different radical structures. The radical exhibiting only beta-proton hyperfine couplings was assigned to a C3 centered radical arising from H3 abstraction and the other radical suggested to be an open-ring species with a disrupted C2-C3 bond and a double C2-O2 bond. A possible formation mechanism for the latter open-ring radical is presented. By means of cluster density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the structures of the two radicals were determined and a fairly good agreement between the calculated and experimental hyperfine tensors was found.     

Hybrid density functional studies on the EPR parameters of heterosubstituted vinyl radicals: substituent effect on the isotropic hyperfine couplings with H and C nuclei

Isotropic hyperfine parameters of a set of vinyl radicals are investigated using the B1LYP hybrid density functional. The systems studied are RH_βC_β=CH radicals, where R=H, BH₂, CH₃, NH₂, OH and F. Theoretical results indicate that electronegativity of the substituent strongly affects the magnitude of hyperfine coupling with hydrogen nuclei as well as with ¹³C_β. A_iso(¹³C_β) varies from −8.7 (4.9) to 17.4 G (−17.8 G) for Z (E) isomers of the radicals depending on the R group, BH₂ and F, respectively. In the same order, for Z (E) isomeric forms A_iso(¹H_β) diminishes from 40.1 (67.7) to 18.4 G (40.9 G) and A_iso(¹H) – from 25.6 (24.1) to 1.5 G (1.3 G). The effect of the substituents on the spin and electron density distribution is discussed in the framework of natural population analysis and theory of atoms in molecules.     

Physico-chemical aspects of polyethylene processing in an open mixer. Part 22: Mechanisms and kinetics of vinyl and vinylidene group consumption

The reactions of vinyl and vinylidene groups in oxidizing polyethylene melts are partly unexpected. The main possibilities of consumption that can be envisaged are reactions with peroxy radicals, molecular oxygen, hydroperoxides and peracids. These different reactions can all contribute to some extent to the removal of vinyl and vinylidene groups. However, the dominant reactions are quite specific for the two unsaturated groups and the temperature range. Consumption of vinylidene groups results mainly from reaction with peroxy radicals and with hydroperoxides. It decreases significantly in the high temperature range in which the hydroperoxides do not accumulate. Reaction with hydroperoxides seems also to be the dominant reaction removing vinyl groups in polyethylene melts at low temperature. The reaction with peroxy radicals seems negligible in the whole temperature range of the experiments. The increasing consumption rates in the high temperature range are attributed to dimerisation involving two vinyl groups. The same reaction is thought to account for molecular enlargement in polyethylene types with significant amounts of vinyl groups. In this respect it complements macro-alkyl radical addition to vinyl groups. The contributions of the two mechanisms to molecular enlargement are discussed.     

Simplification of complex EPR spectra by cepstral analysis

As the Fourier transform of time-series data is known as the spectrum, the Fourier transform of the logarithm of the time-series data is called the cepstrum of the data. When cepstral analysis is applied to free induction decay signals of free radicals showing first-order EPR spectra, the identification of nuclear hyperfine coupling constants becomes simple. In a systematic manner, we have examined how the technique of cepstral analysis is affected by the presence of aliasing, noise, uncertainty in the time origin of the free induction decay, the presence of second-order hyperfine couplings, and the applications of various apodization methods. This technique was then applied to analyze the EPR spectrum of anthraquinone anion radical, and anion radicals of porphycene and tetrapropyl-porphycene, and the hyperfine coupling constants thus obtained were compared with published data. A good agreement was always found. We make a case for the usefulness of cepstral analysis in determining the hyperfine coupling constants of complex EPR spectra of organic free radicals.     

EPR spectroscopy and polarography of nitroazoles. 3. Nitropyrazoles

The results of an EPR investigation are presented with polarographs of electrochemical excitation of nitropyrazoles in acetonitrile. It is shown that 3- and 4-nitropyrazoles are excited in two single-electron stages with formation of dianion radicals. Upon excitation, N-alkylnitropyrazoles form stable anion radicals. 1-Nitro- and 1,4-dinitropyrazoles are excited upon splitting off of the NO₂ anion. Excitation potentials of the nitropyrazoles and hyperfine interaction constants for the corresponding ion radicals are given.See [1] for Communication 2.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 523–527, April, 1982.     

Combined electron magnetic resonance and density functional theory study of 10 K X-irradiated beta-D-fructose single crystals

Primary free radical formations in fructose single crystals X-irradiated at 10 K were investigated at the same temperature using X-band Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), Electron Nuclear Double Resonance (ENDOR) and ENDOR induced EPR (EIE) techniques. ENDOR angular variations in the three principal crystallographic planes and a fourth skewed plane allowed the unambiguous determination of five proton hyperfine coupling tensors. From the EIE studies, these hyperfine interactions were assigned to three different radicals, labeled T1, T1* and T2. For the T1 and T1* radicals, the close similarity in hyperfine coupling tensors suggests that they are due to the same type of radical stabilized in two slightly different geometrical conformations. Periodic density functional theory calculations were used to aid the identification of the structure of the radiation-induced radicals. For the T1/T1* radicals a C3 centered hydroxyalkyl radical model formed by a net H abstraction is proposed. The T2 radical is proposed to be a C5 centered hydroxyalkyl radical, formed by a net hydrogen abstraction. For both radicals, a very good agreement between calculated and experimental hyperfine coupling tensors was obtained.     

Theory of magnetic field modulation of radical recombination reactions. II. Short time behavior

The change of spin multiplicity in a radical pair, due to hyperfine interaction and depending on an external magnetic field, is treated by time-dependent perturbation theory. Analytic expressions, valid at short times, but at arbitrary field strengths, are derived which apply to radicals with any given hyperfine structure. The short time region deserves special interest, since here isotope effects in radical reactions, induced by differences in the nuclear magnetic moments rather than in masses, are shown to be much stronger than at longer times.     

Determining the geometry and magnetic parameters of fluorinated radicals by simulation of powder ESR spectra and DFT calculations: the case of the radical RCF2CF2* in nafion perfluorinated ionomers

The ESR spectrum of the chain-end radical RCF2CF2* detected in Nafion perfluorinated membranes exposed to the photo-Fenton reagent was accurately simulated by an automatic fitting procedure, using as input the hyperfine coupling tensors of the two F alpha and two F beta nuclei as well as the corresponding directions of the principal values from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. An accurate fit was obtained only for different orientations of the hyperfine coupling tensors for the two F alpha nuclei, indicating a nonplanar structure about the C alpha radical center. The fitted isotropic hyperfine splittings for the two F beta nuclei in the Nafion radical, 24.9 and 27.5 G, are significantly larger than those for the chain-end radical in Teflon (15 G), implying different radical conformations in the two systems. The excellent fit indicated that the geometry and electronic structure of free radicals can be obtained not only from single-crystal ESR spectroscopy, but also, in certain cases, from powder spectra, by combination with data from DFT calculations. The optimized structures obtained by DFT calculations for the CF3CF2CF2CF2* or CF3OCF2CF2* radicals as models provided additional support for the pyramidal structure determined from the spectral fit. Comparison and analysis of calculated and fitted values for the hyperfine splittings of the two F beta nuclei suggested that the radical detected by ESR in Nafion is ROCF2CF2*, which originates from attack of oxygen radicals on the Nafion side chain. The combination of spectrum fitting and DFT is considered important in terms of understanding the hyperfine splittings from 19F nuclei and the different conformations of fluorinated chain-end-type radicals RCF2CF2* in different systems, and also for elucidating the mechanism of Nafion fragmentation when exposed to oxygen radicals in fuel cell conditions.     

SCF MO INDO calculation of anisotropie hyperfine coupling tensors for σ-type radicals

The anisotropic hyperfine coupling tensors for some -type radicals (HCO, FCO, NO₂, CO ₂ ^– , CN, phenyl, vinyl) were calculated. The calculation was performed with an all-valence-electron approximate open-shell MO method using the INDO approximation and with the dipolar integrals evaluated over Slater-type AO's. The diagonalyzed tensors were in reasonable agreement with the available data of experiment.     

Non-ideality in vinyl polymerisation—IX. Note on secondary dissociation of primary radicals

An extended mathematical analysis is proposed for free-radical polymerisation systems involving initiators which produce primary radicals that have quite long half-life and decompose to secondary radicals. Initiation and macroradical termination by both primary and secondary radicals have been considered. Data for styrene and vinyl chloride have been treated with the developed relationships; limitations of earlier treatments are discussed.     

Cationic and polymeric radicals of vinyl monomers in halogenated matrices: An ESR and SCF MO study

The vinyl monomers methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and β-methylstyrene were dissolved in CF₃CCl₃, x-irradiated at 4 or 77 K, and investigated by ESR spectroscopy. The molecular cation of methyl acrylate has no resolved hyperfine structure, indicating that the unpaired electron is localized on the carbonyl oxygen. Evidence that a two-stage photoinduced reaction gives rise to a propagating radical was obtained. Propagating radicals were observed also with methyl methacrylate, acrylic acid, and methacrylic acid as solutes. The positive ion of β-methylstyrene has been prepared and characterized. The experimental data have been compared with molecular orbital calculations at different levels of approximation.     

Photopolymerization initiated by carbonyl compounds. VII. Solvent effects on biacetyl photoinitiation

Biacetyl is solvated by methanol or water giving an α-substituted alkanone. Irradiation of the solvated species at 300 nm in the presence of vinyl acetate or vinyl pyrrolidone, produces a significant amount of polymer. The photoprocesses leading to active free radicals are considered to be a type I photocleavage of the α-substituted alkanone.     

Acrylonitrile Copolymerization. VIII. Radical Determination by the Spin-Trapping Technique

The technique of spin trapping of polymer radicals by 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane has been applied to the study of acrylonitrile copolymerization. Provided the concentration of the spin trapping agent is kept low, and the samples are kept at low temperature during storage before obtaining the ESR spectra, quantitative studies of styrene-acrylonitrile copolymerization are possible. However, the spin-trapping reaction is a competitive one, and the trapping efficiency is dependent on the reactivity of the radicals present. In the case of acrylonitrile copolymerization with either vinyl chloride or vinyl acetate, these two last radicals are trapped preferentially. Furthermore, the cyclization reaction observed with many acrylonitrile copolymerization is nearly eliminated in the presence of the spin-trapping agent.     

HYSCORE and Davies ENDOR study of irradiated ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been studied with different magnetic resonance techniques to elicit information on the nature and the location of radicals generated during high energy irradiation. Field swept electron paramagnetic resonance, pulsed Davies electron nuclear double resonance and hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopic measurements allowed extracting for the first time the full ¹H hyperfine coupling tensors of the most abundant radical, i.e. a secondary alkyl radical and to ascertain the formation of allyl radicals in the first stages of the irradiation process. The ¹H hyperfine coupling tensors are analogous to those reported for single crystal irradiated polyethylene, suggesting that radicals generated in UHMWPE are located in the crystalline region of the polymer. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.