Stoichiometry and mechanism of protonation of alkali metal salts of benzophenone radical anions by weak proton donors and its relevance to the base-catalyzed decomposition of benzopinacol

The Stoichiometry of the protonation of lithium and potassium salts of benzophenone radical anions and of the lithium salt of the fluorenone radical anion by methanol has been measured and found to be [(Ar₂C=O)^–]/[MeOH] =21. This result, which was obtained by the method of magnetic titration, implies that paramagnetism decays by the reaction between a ketyl anion and a ketyl radical (i.e., a protonated ketyl anion). The reactivities of alkali metal salts of fluorenone radical anions in relation to methanol exhibit a pronounced dependence on the nature of the counterion. No kinetic deuterium isotope effect has been found for the protonation of the lithium salt of the benzophenone radical anion in tetrahydrofuran (THF) bytert-pentyl alcohol. The lithium salt of the benzophenone radical anion inN,N,N,N-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) behaves markedly differently. Namely, its protonation by methanol exhibits 1 1 Stoichiometry and it reacts considerably more slowly withsec-butyl alkohol,K(THF)/K(TMEDA) = 2.5. Benzopinacol undergoes decomposition by an alkoxide base to diphenyl ketyl, which decays into an equimolar mixture of benzophenone and benzhydrol. The reaction follows second-order kinetics and the specific rate constants exhibit an inverse relationship with respect to the initial concentration of the alkoxide. With a very strong base benzopinacol decomposes into two diphenyl ketyl anions. On the basis of this information as well as on studies of products, relevant mechanisms are proposed for the protonation of ketyl anions and for the decomposition of aromatic pinacols in basic media.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 83–91, January, 1995.     

The reaction of carbanions with 2-substituted-2-nitropropanes : Substitution and dimerization occurring by radical chain processes involving electron transfer

The reaction of mono-enolate anions with O₂NCMe₂X where X = Cl, NO₂, p-MePhSO₂ yield coupling (RCOCH(R′)(CMe₂NO₂) and enolate dimerization products (RCOCH(R′)CH(R′)COR) by free radical chain mechanisms involving bimolecular substitution or electron transfer reactions between the enolate anion and the intermediate nitro alkane radical anion (XCMe₂NO₂^?).     

INTERFACIAL ELECTRON TRANSFER INVOLVING RADICAL IONS OF CAROTENE AND DIPHENYLHEXATRIENE IN MICELLES AND VESICLES

Abstract— The radical cations and anions of diphenylhexatriene have been produced and characterized in homogenous and micellar solutions by pulse radiolysis and laser flash photolysis techniques. Both types of radical ions were formed in cyclohexane on pulse radiolysis. The radical cation was formed in dichloroethane on pulse radiolysis, and by two photon photoionization in ethanol, dichloroethane, and various micelles. Both radical ions have intense ( 10⁵ M ^-1 cm^-1) absorption peaks at600–650nm. The cation peak occurs at slightly shorter wavelengths than that of the anion.
In micelles and vesicles the radical anion of carotene was formed by electron transfer from e_a– on pulse radiolysis. The radical cation was formed on pulse radiolysis of micellar solutions containing Br^-₂ as counterion, presumably by electron transfer to Br₂^-. The spectra agree with those of the radical cation and anion of carotene that have previously been obtained in homogenous solutions (Dawe and Land, 1975).
Electron transfer in micelles and vesicles from the radical anion of biphenyl to carotene and diphenylhexatriene, and from the radical anions of these to inorganic acceptors has been studied.     

Gas-phase reactions of halogenated radical carbene anions with sulfur and oxygen containing species

The reactivities of mono- and dihalocarbene anions (CHCl⁻, CHBr⁻, CF₂⁻, CCl₂⁻, and CBrCl⁻) were studied using a tandem flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube instrument. Reaction rate constants and product branching ratios are reported for the reactions of these carbene anions with six neutral reagents (CS₂, COS, CO₂, O₂, CO, and N₂O). These anions were found to demonstrate diverse chemistry as illustrated by formation of multiple product ions and by the observed reaction trends. The reactions of CHCl⁻ and CHBr⁻ occur with similar efficiencies and reactivity patterns. Substitution of a Cl atom for an H atom to form CCl₂⁻ and CBrCl⁻ decreases the rate constants; these two anions react with similar efficiencies and reactivity trends. The CF₂⁻ anion displays remarkably different reactivity; these differences are discussed in terms of its lower electron binding energy and the effect of the electronegative fluorine substituents. The results presented here are compared to the reactivity of the CH₂⁻ anion, which has previously been reported.     

Mixed dicationic and monocationic benzidine species in the proton‐transfer compound of benzidine with 3,5‐dinitro­salicylic acid

The crystal structure of the proton‐transfer compound of 1,1′‐biphenyl‐4,4′‐diamine (benzidine) with 3,5‐dinitro­salicylic acid, viz. 1,1′‐biphenyl‐4,4′‐diaminium bis­(4′‐amino‐1,1′‐bi­phenyl‐4‐aminium) tetra­kis(2‐carb­oxy‐4,6‐dinitro­phenol­ate) ethanol disolvate, C₁₂H₁₄N₂²⁺·2C₁₂H₁₃N₂⁺·4C₇H₃N₂O₇⁻·2C₂H₆O, shows the presence of both diprotonated and monoprotonated benzidine cations. The diprotonated species lie across crystallographic inversion centres in the unit cell, while the monoprotonated species occupy general sites. All amine H atoms participate in hydrogen bonding with carboxyl, phenolate and nitro O‐atom acceptors of the salicylate anions, which also participate in hydrogen bonding with the disordered ethanol solvent mol­ecules. Significant inter‐ring anion–anion and anion–monocation π–π inter­actions are also present, giving a three‐dimensional framework structure.     

Estimation of the electron affinities of C60, corannulene,and coronene by using the kinetic method

Novel anions that contain one molecule each of C₆₀ and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon coronene are generated in the gas phase by electron attachment desorption chemical ionization. Collision-induced dissociation reveals that these cluster ions are loosely bonded. Fragmentation of the mass-selected cluster anion yields, as the only products, the intact radical anions of the constituent molecules, namely, the C₆₀ radical anion and the coronene radical anion, in almost identical relative abundances. This result is interpreted as evidence that the cluster ion can be considered as the anion radical of one molecule solvated by the other molecule. The known very high electron affinity of C₆₀ (2.66 eV) and the comparable degree to which C₆₀ and the PAH compete for the electron suggests that dissociation may be controlled by the electron affinity of a portion of the C₆₀ surface, that is, in this case the kinetic method yields information on the local electron affinity of C₆₀. The electron affinity of the bowl-shaped compound corannulene is estimated for the first time to be 0.50 ± 0.10 eV by the kinetic method by using a variety of reference compounds. Unlike coronene, corannulene reacts with C _?? ⁶⁰ in the gas phase to form a covalently bonded, denydrogenated cluster ion. Support for the concept of “local” electron affinity of C₆₀ comes from a theoretical calculation on the electronic structure of C₆₀ anions, which shows evidence for localization of the charge in the C₆₀ molecule. The possibility of electron tunneling in the C₆₀-coronene system is discussed as an alternative explanation for the unusual observation of equal abundances of C₆₀ anions and coronene anions upon dissociation of the corresponding cluster ion.     

CF3: An Electron‐Withdrawing Substituent for Aromatic Anion Acceptors? “Side‐On” versus “On‐Top” Binding of Halides

The ability of multiple CF₃‐substituted arenes to act as acceptors for anions is investigated. The results of quantum‐chemical calculations show that a high degree of trifluoromethyl substitution at the aromatic ring results in a positive quadrupole moment. However, depending on the polarizability of the anion and on the substitution at the arene, three different modes of interaction, namely Meisenheimer complex, side‐on hydrogen bonding, or anion–π interaction, can occur. Experimentally, the side‐on as well as a η²‐type π‐complex are observed in the crystal, whereas in solution only side‐on binding is found.     

Charge Transfer Salts of BO with Paramagnetic Isothiocyanato Complex Anions: (BO)[M(isoq)2(NCS)4]; M=Cr or Fe, isoq=isoquinoline and BO=Bis(ethylenedioxo)tetrathiafulvalene

The preparation, X-ray structures and magnetic properties of two isostructural new charge transfer salts: (BO)[M(isoq)₂(NCS)₄]; M=Cr^III(1), Fe^III(2) and isoq=isoquinoline are reported. Their structure consists of alternate organic and inorganic layers, each layer being formed by mixed columns of BO radical cations and paramagnetic metal complex anions. There are short intermolecular contacts between donor and anion (S2_anion· · ·S4_BO<3.5 Å) and between adjacent BO molecules (O· · · O1<3.2 Å). The two compounds are insulators. ESR measurements show single signal without separating the donor and anion spins. The magnetic measurements obey the Curie-Weiss law and revealed dominant antiferromagnetic interactions between anion spin and donor spin, but long-range magnetic ordering did not occur down to 2 K. This is directly related to structural reasons which were deduced from a comparison of the title compounds with other 1:1 salts containing same anion complexes and different donors.     

Charge separation in mesoporous aluminosilicates

EPR spectroscopy has been used to investigate spontaneous and/or photo-induced electron transfer between adsorbed organic molecules and the mesoporous aluminosilicate MCM-41 host. Spontaneous electron transfer occurs from the host to electron acceptor molecules with sufficiently favourable reduction potentials (TCNE, TCNQ, 1,4-benzoquinone, 1,4-naphthaquinone and 1,4-anthraquinone), provided the MCM-41 contains aluminium and the radical anion yield correlates with the aluminium content of the host. The semiquinone radical anions are interacting strongly with exposed Al³⁺ sites, whereas the TCNE and TCNQ radical anions are loosely bound and can be washed from the host. Radical cation formation is observed when electron donor molecules with favourable oxidation potentials are adsorbed in MCM-41 containing aluminium, and the radical cations formed interact with exposed Al³⁺ sites. This work shows that aluminium-containing MCM-41 contains both electron donating and electron accepting sites which may intervene in intra-molecular charge separation processes in adsorbed organic molecules.     

Structure of the radicals in glycine stabilized at low temperature

Conclusion Measurement of the ENDOR spectra of glycine -irradiated at 77°K shows the existence of three types of paramagnetic center. One of these — the NH ₂ ⁺ CH₂CO ₂ ^– -radical is apparently formed as a consequence of the removal of a hydrogen atom from a radical cation in the excited state. The latter is produced as a result of the reaction of highly energetic holes with the molecules of the crystal. The other two centers are glycine radical cations and radical anions. Study of the HFI with nitrogen shows that the hydrogen bond brings about the transfer of charge from the radical to a neighboring molecule. This confirms the suggestion [15] that hydrogen bonding plays a part in the creation of the conductivity bands of protein structures.The study of the anisotropy of the HFI with the nuclei, as discussed above, can give valuable information on the structure of radicals, the distribution of spin density, and the interaction of a radical with its environment.Institute of Semiconductors, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 266–272, March–April, 1976.     

Carbonate radical anion-induced electron transfer in bovine serum albumin

Reaction of native and thermally denatured bovine serum albumin (BSA) with carbonate radical anion (CO₃⁻) has been studied using pulse radiolysis technique. Scavenging of CO₃⁻ by native BSA and consequent electron transfer from tyrosine to tryptophan radical has been observed to occur with almost same rate constant (k∼1.7×10⁸ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pH 8.8. Effect of structural changes, due to thermal denaturation, on scavenging of CO₃⁻ and the electron transfer process have been studied and discussed in this paper.     

Ultracentrifuge studies on the interaction of some basic polypeptides with water-structure influencing anions

The aim of this work is to investigate the dependence of the molecular weight and the 2. virial coefficient of poly-L-lysine and N -methylated poly-L-lysine in solutions of water-structure-influencing anions.In the case of poly-L-lysine, the ultracentrifugal and CD-spectroscopic measurements show an increasing molecular weight and a complex between poly-L-lysine and the strong-water-structure-breaking anion ClO ₄ ^– . In solutions of structure-forming anions, an independence of the molecular weight from the anion-concentration can be recognized.The 2. virial coefficient of structure-breaking anions is generally higher than for structure-forming anions.At a pH of 10.6, the molecular weight and the 2. virial coefficient is independent of the structure-breaking anion.In NaCH₃ SO₄ solutions, the tendency of the anion concentration and the molecular weight are parallel.Compared to this behavior, N -methylated poly-L-lysine was likewise investigated; it shows a similar trend of the molecular weight in dependence of the NaCH₃ SO₄ concentration.     

Catalytic action of Mn‐superoxide dismutase in scavenging superoxide radical anion by double hydrogen abstraction from dihydrolipoic acid: A theoretical study

The mechanism of scavenging superoxide radical anion ( ) by dihydrolipoic acid (diLA) in absence and presence of the enzyme Manganese‐superoxide dismutase (Mn‐SOD) has been investigated using density functional theory. Mn‐SOD was modelled by a complex of a manganese cation (Mn²⁺) bonded to three similar molecules having a histidine ring each and a water molecule. It has been shown that the scavenging mechanism involves double hydrogen abstraction by from different pairs of neighboring sites of diLA. It has been found that diLA alone cannot scavenge superoxide radical anions efficiently as the barrier energies involved in the reactions are very high. However, in presence of Mn‐SOD, owing to its catalytic action, the corresponding reactions become barrierless due to which superoxide radical anions would be scavenged highly efficiently. H₂O₂ formed from superoxide radical anion due to double hydrogen abstraction from diLA is scavenged by diLA alone barrierlessly without involving Mn‐SOD or any other catalyst.     

Contact electroresistance of metals in aqueous solutions during the anion adsorption involving charge transfer

Notions about charge transfer during adsorption of anions on metals in aqueous solutions are rendered. The role played by the electron tunneling on macrocontacts during the signal formation in the method of contact electroresistance (CER) is considered. It is shown that CER depends on the metal surface coverage by adsorbed species and their effective charge. Bell-like CER vs.E curves are obtained for copper, silver, and gold in solutions containing halide ions. Potentials of maximums in the curves,E _max, correspond to the charge transfer onset and depend on the nature of the metal and anion and on the anion concentration. AtE belowE _max, halides adsorb in the form of ions, involving no substantial charge transfer. At potentials exceedingE _max by 0.1 to 0.2 V, practically complete charge transfer occurs. With changing anion nature,E _max for a given metal rises in the series I^- < Br^- ≪ Cl^-. For a given anion (say, I^-),E _max increases with the metal nature in the series Cu ≤Ag ≪ Au. The link between the charge transfer during adsorption of anions and the surface reconstruction in single-crystal electrodes is discussed.     

Medium effect in the electroreduction of nitromesitylene

One-electron reduction of nitromesitylene to the corresponding radical anion has been studied at a hanging mercury drop electrode in various perchlorate salt solutions in five organic solvents: dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylacetamide, propylene carbonate, hexamethylphosphoramide and N-methylformamide. Standard redox potentials, diffusion coefficients, standard rate constants and transfer coefficients have been evaluated from cyclic voltammetry measurements. The results obtained are compared with the literature data for dimethylformamide and acetonitrile solutions.The standard rate constants were found to depend on the cation of the supporting electrolyte as well as on the solvent. It is shown that the rate constants corrected for both ion-pair formation and the double layer effect cannot be described by classical theories of heterogeneous electron transfer. It is shown that the dynamic dielectric properties of the solvent, described by the dielectric relaxation time, influence the rate of the heterogeneous charge transfer. The greater the dielectric relaxation time of the solvent, the smaller is the reaction rate.     

A molecular receptor that selectively binds dihydrogen phosphate

A dihydrogen phosphate-binding receptor (4) containing both hydrogen bond donors and acceptors has been prepared by incorporating two pyridyl units to a preorganized biindole scaffold. Receptor 4 strongly and selectively binds dihydrogen phosphate via multiple hydrogen bonds with an association constant (K_a) of 1.1 × 10⁵ M⁻¹ in CH₃CN at 22 ± 1 °C. The high selectivity toward the target anion over other anions is proven to be due to two additional hydrogen bonds between the phosphate hydroxyl groups and the pyridyl nitrogens, each of which increases the complex stability by the free energy of 1.6 kcal/mol. This result clearly demonstrates that a selective receptor for a polyprotic anion can be developed by combining both hydrogen bond donors and acceptors.     

Primary processes in the photosensitized redox reaction of dimers of thiacarbocyanine dyes

The kinetics and the mechanism of the reaction of donor (ascorbic acid) oxidation by electron acceptors (methylviologen and p-nitroacetophenone) photosensitized by dimers of sulfoalkyl-9-ethylthiacarbocyanine dyes (Dye1, Dye2, and Dye3) were studied in aqueous solutions. Dimers of the dyes (dianions) are capable of transition to the triplet state that is mainly quenched by acceptors to form radical anions of dimers, which are unstable and dissociate within 10–12 μs into the monomer (anion) and its radical (the limiting reaction stage). The presence of a donor in the dye-acceptor mixture leads to one-electron reduction of the monomer radical to its anion followed by the dimerization reaction. The results of the analysis of the experimental data obtained by the laser photolysis technique are in good agreement with the calculated kinetic curves for the formation and the decay of the dimer radical anions.     

Pulse radiolysis study of the formation and the reactivity of baicalin radical anion,and in comparison with rutin,quercetin and acyrlate ester radical anions in ethanol

The reaction of solvated electrons with baicalin in N₂-saturated ethanol has been studied by pulse radiolysis. The results show that a solvated electron can add to baicalin and generate a baicalin radical anion with a maximum UV absorbance peak at 360 nm. Its molar extinction coefficient at this wavelength is 1.3×10⁴ M⁻¹ cm⁻¹. The rate constant for the build-up of the baicalin radical anion is 1.3(±0.4)×10¹⁰ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. Decay of the radical anion is induced by a proton transfer reaction and a recombination reaction, which involves a pseudo-first-order reaction with rate constant 2.6(±0.4)×10³ s⁻¹ and a second-order reaction with rate constant 1.3(±0.2)×10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. The effect of acetaldehyde on the decay of the baicalin radical anion was also investigated. Electron transfer between the baicalin radical anion and acetaldehyde was not observed, probably due to the low rate of electron transfer between the baicalin radical anion and acetaldehyde. Reactivity of the rutin, quercetin, baicalin and ethyl acrylate radical anions are also compared.     

Direct determination of rate constants for coupling between aromatic radical anions and alkyl and benzyl radicals by laser-flash photolysis

Coupling rates between the radicals methyl, n-, sec-, tert-butyl and benzyl (R.) and the aromatic radical anions of 1,4-dicyanonaphthalene, 9,10-dicyanoanthracene and fluorenone (A-.) have been obtained using a new laser-flash photolysis method. The radicals R. and the radical anions A-. were generated by a photoinduced electron transfer reaction between the aromatic compound A and the alkyl or benzyl triphenylborate anion RB(Ph)3-. For the first time the rate constants of the coupling reaction between methyl and benzyl radicals with aromatic radical anions have been obtained. For all the measured coupling rate constants an average value of k1 = 1.9 x 10(9) M-1 s-1 was found with a relatively small variation in the coupling rates (0.8-2.9 x 10(9) M-1 s-1). The results demonstrate that the coupling rate k1 is insensitive to changes in the steric and electronic properties of the radicals and the structure and standard potentials of the aromatic radical anions.