Change in reaction pathway in the reduction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone with increasing concentrations of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol

The electrochemical reduction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone, 1, has been studied in acetonitrile with added 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, 2. At low concentrations of 2 the reaction proceeds by the following pathway: reduction of the quinone (Q) to its anion radical (Q*-) followed by complexation of the anion radical with 2 (HA) and the further reduction of the hydrogen-bonded complex (Q*- (HA)) to form HQ- and A-. The latter reaction is a concerted proton and electron- transfer reaction (CPET). At higher concentrations of 2, the pathway changes. The first steps remain the same, but now Q*- (HA) is reduced to HQ- via a disproportionation reaction with Q*- along with proton transfer from HA to Q*- to form HQ* which is reduced to HQ-. The only mechanism that could be found which would account for all of the data involves proton transfer to Q*- occurring within a higher complex, Q*-(HA)3.     

Electron transfer from aromatic amino acids to triplet quinones

The photoreduction of 1,4-benzoquinone, 1,4-naphthoquinone, 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and several methylated or halogenated derivatives in argon-saturated acetonitrile-water mixtures by indole, N-acetyltryptophan and N-acetyltyrosine was studied by time-resolved UV-vis spectroscopy using 20 ns UV laser pulses. The quinone triplet state is quenched by the aromatic amino acids and the rate constants are (1-5)x10(9)M(-1)s(-1). The semiquinone radical anion Q.(-) is the major observable transient after electron transfer from amino acids to the quinone triplet state. Termination of Q.(-) and amino acid derived radicals takes place in the mus-ms range. The effects of structure and other specific properties of quinones and amino acids are discussed. The radicals are subjects of intercept with oxygen, whereby hydrogen peroxide is eventually formed. The quantum yield of oxygen uptake Phi(-O2) as a measure of formation of hydrogen peroxide increases with increasing amino acid concentration, approaching Phi(-O2) for AQ in air-saturated solution.     

Hydrogen bonds not only provide a structural scaffold to assemble donor and acceptor moieties of zinc porphyrin-quinone dyads but also control the photoinduced electron transfer to afford the long-lived charge-separated states

A series of zinc porphyrin-quinone linked dyads [ZnP-CONH-Q, ZnP-NHCO-Q, and ZnP-n-Q (n = 3, 6, 10)] were designed and synthesized to investigate the effects of hydrogen bonds which can not only provide a structural scaffold to assemble donor and acceptor moieties but also control the photoinduced electron-transfer process. In the case of ZnP-CONH-Q and ZnP-NHCO-Q, the hydrogen bond between the N-H proton and the carbonyl oxygen of Q results in the change in the reduction potential of Q. The strong hydrogen bond between the N-H proton and the carbonyl oxygen of Q*- in ZnP-CONH-Q*-,ZnP-NHCO-Q*-, and ZnP-n-Q*- (n = 3, 6, 10) generated by the chemical reduction has been confirmed by the ESR spectra, which exhibit hyperfine coupling constants in agreement those predicted by the density functional calculations. In the case of ZnP-n-Q (n = 3, 6, 10), on the other hand, the hydrogen bond between two amide groups provides a structural scaffold to assemble the donor (ZnP) and the acceptor (Q) moiety together with the hydrogen bond between the N-H proton and the carbonyl oxygen of Q, leading to attainment of the charge-separated state with a long lifetime up to a microsecond.     

Activation of electron-transfer reduction of oxygen by hydrogen bond formation of superoxide anion with ammonium ion

A hydrogen bond formed between the superoxide anion and the ammonium ion (NH4+) accelerates electron transfer from the C60 radical anion to oxygen significantly, whereas the tetra-n-butylammonium ion has no ability to form a hydrogen bond with the superoxidie anion, exhibiting no acceleration of the electron-transfer reduction of oxygen. The second-order rate constant of electron transfer from C60*- to O2 increases linearly with increasing concentration of NH4+. This indicates that O2*- produced in the electron transfer from C60 to O2 is stabilized by 1:1 complex formation between O2*- and NH4+. The 1:1 complex formed between O2*- and NH4+ was detected by ESR. The binding of O2*- with NH4+ results in a positive shift of the reduction potential of O2 with increasing concentration of NH4+, leading to the acceleration of electron transfer from C60*- to O2.     

Photoreduction of 9,10-anthraquinone derivatives: transient spectroscopy and effects of alcohols and amines on reactivity in solution

The photoreduction of 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ), the 2-methyl, 2-ethyl, 2,3-dimethyl, 1,4-difluoro, 1-chloro and 1,8-dichloro derivatives as well as 1,4,4a,9a-tetrahydroanthraquinone, 1,2-benzanthraquinone and 6,13-pentacenequinone in nonaqueous solution at room temperature was studied by time-resolved UV-visible spectroscopy. Upon 308 nm excitation of AQ the triplet state reacts with alcohols and triethylamine (TEA). The rate constant of triplet quenching by amines is close to the diffusion-controlled limit. The semiquinone radical *QH/ Q*- is the main intermediate, and the half-life of the second-order decay kinetics depends significantly on the donor and the medium. Photoinduced charge separation after electron transfer from amines to the triplet state of AQ in acetonitrile and the subsequent charge recombination or neutralization also were measured by transient conductivity. The maximum quantum yield, lambdairr = 254 nm, of photoconversion into the strongly fluorescing 9,10-dihydroxyanthracenes is close to unity. The fluorescence with maximum at 460-480 nm and a lifetime of 20-30 ns disappears as a result of a complete recovery into AQ, when the dihydroxyanthracenes are exposed to oxygen. The mechanisms of photoreduction of parent AQ in acetonitrile by 2-propanol and in benzene and acetonitrile by TEA are discussed. The effects of AQ follow essentially the same pattern. The various functions of oxygen, e.g. (1) quenching of the triplet state; (2) quenching of the semiquinone radical, thereby forming HO2*/O2*- radicals; and (3) trapping of the dihydroxyanthracenes are outlined.     

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the oxygen reduction reaction on a Pt(111) surface in the presence of hydrated hydronium (H3O)(+)(H2O)2: direct or series pathway?

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on a Pt(111) surface at 350 K. By progressive loading of (H3O)(+)(H2O)(2,3) + e- into a simulation cell containing a Pt slab and O2 for the first reduction step, and either products or intermediate species for the subsequent reduction steps, the detailed mechanisms of the ORR are well illustrated via monitoring MD trajectories and analyzing Kohn-Sham electronic energies. A proton transfer is found to be involved in the first reduction step; depending on the initial proton-oxygen distance, on the degree of proton hydration, and on the surface charge, such transfer may take place either earlier or later than the O2 chemisorption, in all cases forming an adsorbed end-on complex H-O-O*. Decomposition of H-O-O* takes place with a rather small barrier, after a short lifetime of approximately 0.15 ps, yielding coadsorbed oxygen and hydroxyl (O + HO*). Formation of the one-end adsorbed hydrogen peroxide, HOO*H, is observed via the reduction of H-O-O*, which suggests that the ORR may also proceed via HOO*H, i.e., a series pathway. However, HOO*H readily dissociates homolytically into two coadsorbed hydroxyls (HO* + HO*) rather than forming a dual adsorbed HOOH. Along the direct pathway, the reduction of H-O* + O* yields two possible products, O* + H2O* and HO* + HO*. Of the three intermediates from the second electron-transfer step, HOO*H from the series pathway has the highest energy, followed by O* + H2O* and HO* + HO* from the direct pathway. It is therefore theoretically validated that the O2 reduction on a Pt surface may proceed via a parallel pathway, the direct and series occurring simultaneously, with the direct as the dominant step.     

Molecular structure of substituted phenylamine alpha-OMe- and alpha-OH-p-benzoquinone derivatives. Synthesis and correlation of spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical parameters.

Thirteen C(6) para-substituted anilinebenzoquinones derived from perezone (PZ) (2-(1,5-dimethyl-4-hexenyl)-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone) were prepared to analyze the effect of the substituents on quinone electronic properties. The effect of a hydrogen bond between the alpha-hydroxy and carbonyl C(4)-O(4) groups was determined in perezone derivatives by substituting electron-donor and electron-acceptor groups such as -OMe, -Me, -Br, and -CN and comparing the -OH (APZs) and -OMe (APZms) derivatives. Reduction potentials of these compounds were measured using cyclic voltammetry in anhydrous acetonitrile. The typical behavior of quinones, with or without alpha-phenolic protons, in an aprotic medium was not observed for APZs due to the presence of coupled, self-protonation reactions. The self-protonation process gives rise to an initial wave, corresponding to the irreversible reduction reaction of quinone (HQ) to hydroquinone (HQH(2)), and to a second electron transfer, attributed to the reversible reduction of perezonate (Q(-)) formed during the self-protonation process. This reaction is favored by the acidity of the alpha-OH located at the quinone ring. To control the coupled chemical reaction, we considered both methylation of the -OH group (APZms) and addition of a strong base, tetramethylammonium phenolate (Me(4)N(+)C(6)H(5)O(-)), to completely deprotonate the APZs. Methylation led to recovery of reversible, bi-electronic behavior (Q/Q(*)(-) and Q(*)(-)/Q(2)(-)), indicating the nonacidic properties of the NH group. The addition of a strong base resulted in reduction of perezonate (Q(-)) obtained from the acid-base reaction of APZs with Me(4)N(+)C(6)H(5)O(-) to produce the dianion radical (Q(*)(2)(-)). Although the nitrogen atom interferes with direct conjugation between both rings by binding the quinone with the para-substituted ring, the UV-vis spectra of these compounds showed the existence of intramolecular electronic transfer from the respective aniline to the quinone moiety. (13)C NMR chemical shifts of the quinone atoms provided additional evidence for this electron transfer. These findings were also supported by linear variation in cathodic peak potentials (E(pc)) vs Hammett sigma(p) constants associated with the different electrochemical transformations: Q/Q(*)(-), Q(*)(-)/Q(2)(-) for APZms or HQ/HQH(2) and Q(-)/Q(*)(2)(-) for APZs. The electronic properties of model anilinebenzoquinones were determined at a B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory within the framework of the density functional theory. Our theoretical calculations predicted that all the compounds are floppy molecules with a low rotational C-N barrier, in which the degree of conjugation of the lone nitrogen pair with the quinone system depends on the magnitude of the electronic effect of the substituents of the aniline ring. Natural charges show that C(1) is more positive than C(4) although the LUMO orbital is located at C(4). Hence, if the natural charge distribution in the molecule controls the first electron addition, this should occur at carbon atom C(1). If the process is controlled by the LUMO orbitals, however, electron addition would first occur at C(4). For the APZms series susceptibility of the first reduction wave to the substitution effect (rho(pi) = 147 mV) is lower than that of the second reduction wave (rho(pi) = 156 mV). Thus, the first, one-electron transfer in the quinone system is controlled by the natural charge distribution of the molecule and therefore takes place at C(1).     

Photoreactions of p-quinones with dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl sulfoxide in aqueous acetonitrile. goerner@mpi-muelheim.mpg.de

The effects of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the photoreactions of 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ), 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and several derivatives in acetonitrile/water were studied. The observed triplet state of the quinones is quenched and the rate constant is close to the diffusion-controlled limit for reactions of most quinones with DMS and lower with DMSO. Semiquinone radical anions (Q*-) produced by electron transfer from sulfur to the triplet quinone were detected. For both DMS and DMSO the yield of Q*- is similar, being generally low for BQ and NQ, substantial for AQ and largest for chloranil. The specific quencher concentrations and the effects of quinone structure and redox potentials on the time-resolved photochemical properties are discussed.     

Biomimetic oxygen reduction by cofacial porphyrins at a liquid-liquid interface

Oxygen reduction catalyzed by cofacial metalloporphyrins at the 1,2-dichlorobenzene-water interface was studied with two lipophilic electron donors of similar driving force, 1,1'-dimethylferrocene (DMFc) and tetrathiafulvalene (TTF). The reaction produces mainly water and some hydrogen peroxide, but the mediator has a significant effect on the selectivity, as DMFc and the porphyrins themselves catalyze the decomposition and the further reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the biscobaltporphyrin, 4,5-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]-9,9-dimethylxanthene, Co(2)(DPX), actually catalyzes oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide when oxygen is bound on the "exo" side ("dock-on") of the catalyst, while four-electron reduction takes place with oxygen bound on the "endo" side ("dock-in") of the molecule. These results can be explained by a "dock-on/dock-in" mechanism. The next step for improving bioinspired oxygen reduction catalysts would be blocking the "dock-on" path to achieve selective four-electron reduction of molecular oxygen.     

Sensor System for Simultaneous Measurement of Oxygen and Hydrogen Peroxide Concentration During Glucose Oxidase Activity

An amperometric sensor system, based on a repetitive double step potential method at a glassy carbon electrode, has been developed for the simultaneous measurement of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen concentrations. The current measured at a potential of –1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/saturated Cl^–) corresponds to the sum of the reduction currents of hydrogen peroxide and dissolved oxygen. The current measured at –0.55 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/saturated Cl^–) is due to the reduction of dissolved oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. Alternatively, the concentration of dissolved oxygen can also be determined using a Clark electrode. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide and dissolved oxygen during enzymatic conversion of glucose can be followed on line and be used to control the process.     

Open-circuit reduction of oxygen coverage on Pt by organic substances: II. Particular cases depending on the coverage degrees

Two particular cases of the open-circuit reduction of the oxygen coverage on Pt by organic substances are examined—at high and at low coverage degrees. Suitable expansion in series of the general equations of part I and some simplifications lead to linearized equations which can easily be verified experimentally. It is shown that the form of the initial section of the experimental curves (at high coverage degrees) can be explained either accepting a chemical reaction of the coverage with the organic substance or assuming that no chemical interaction proceeds and the form of the curve is determined by the double laye charing. The difference in the concentration dependences makes however these two mechanisms distinguishable. At low coverage degrees the experimental curves can be described accepting an electrochemical mechanism of reduction of the oxygen coverage with the adsorption of the organic substance as the rate determining step. The linearized equations derived allow the determination of the kinetic parameters of the process.     

Bimolecular hydrogen abstraction from phenols by aromatic ketone triplets

Absolute rate constants for hydrogen abstraction from 4-methylphenol (para-cresol) by the lowest triplet states of 24 aromatic ketones have been determined in acetonitrile solution at 23 degrees C, and the results combined with previously reported data for roughly a dozen other compounds under identical conditions. The ketones studied include various ring-substituted benzophenones and acetophenones, alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoroacetophenone and its 4-methoxy analog, 2-benzoylthiophene, 2-acetonaphthone, and various other polycyclic aromatic ketones such as fluorenone, xanthone and thioxanthone, and encompass n,pi*, pi,pi*(CT) and arenoid pi,pi* lowest triplets with (triplet) reduction potentials (E(red)*) varying from about -10 to -38 kcal mol(-1). The 4-methylphenoxyl radical is observed as the product of triplet quenching in almost every case, along with the corresponding hemipinacol radical in most instances. Hammett plots for the acetophenones and benzophenones are quite different, but plots of log k(Q) vs E(red)* reveal a common behavior for most of the compounds studied. The results are consistent with reaction via two mechanisms: a simple electron-transfer mechanism, which applies to the n,pi* triplet ketones and those pi,pi* triplets that possess particularly low reduction potentials, and a coupled electron-/proton-transfer mechanism involving the intermediacy of a hydrogen-bonded exciplex, which applies to the pi,pi* ketone triplets. Ketones with lowest charge-transfer pi,pi* states exhibit rate constants that vary only slightly with triplet reduction potential over the full range investigated; this is due to the compensating effect of substituents on triplet state basicity and reduction potential, which both play a role in quenching by the hydrogen-bonded exciplex mechanism. Ketones with arenoid pi,pi* states exhibit the fall-off in rate constant that is typical of photoinduced electron transfer reactions, but it occurs at a much higher potential than would be normally expected due to the effects of hydrogen-bonding on the rate of electron-transfer within the exciplex.     

On the reduction of oxygen in aqueous solution by electrolytically precipitated cadmium

The reduction of oxygen in aqueous solution by electrolytically precipitated cadmium, used in a reductor column, has been studied in two ways. First, by analysis of the effluent for the hydrogen peroxide formed as a reaction intermediate, the conditions for quantitative reduction have been found. Attention is called to the fact that an effluent free from hydrogen peroxide also implies quantitative reduction of all dissolved oxygen. The practical consequences are pointed out. A comparison is also made with some other reductors. Secondly, the oxidation of electrolytically precipitated cadmium by hydrogen ion is strongly inhibited, so at pH 7 it is possible to determine oxygen as the equivalent amount of cadmium ion produced in the reductor column. The conditions of quantitative reduction of oxygen are determined and found to be in agreement with those obtained by the first method. From the results the solubility of oxygen in water in equilibrium with air is estimated and found to agree with a published result considered as reliable. An outline is given of a method for determination of oxygen in aqueous solution by measurement of the amount of cadmium ions produced.     

多铜氧化酶/中介体催化氧还原反应动力学分析

采用分光光度法、Clark型氧电极以及循环伏安法结合旋转圆盘电极技术,分别测定了游离多铜氧化酶在扩散型电子中介体存在时,催化氧还原循环中每一个组成步骤的速率并进行了比较,试图确定这个催化反应的决速步骤。 实验结果表明,漆酶分子内部的电子迁移速率(103/s)最高,酶催化氧气化学还原的速率次之(91/s),酶催化中介体氧化产物在电极上电化学还原的速率再次之(0.19/s或7.8×10-3 cm/s),底物O2气以及氧化态/还原态电子中介体2,2′-连氮-双-(3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸)二铵盐(ABTS)的传质系数分别为1.7×10-3、4.4×10-4 和6.3×10-4 cm/s,相应地酶催化中介体氧化的化学反应速率为0.047/s,酶催化中介体氧化的化学反应步骤以及中介体的传质步骤是影响催化反应速率的关键。 在此基础上,通过系统改变体系中酶的种类、活力以及浓度、中介体种类及浓度、溶液温度及pH值等参数,研究了酶电催化氧还原活力与这些参数之间的依赖关系,进一步确证了前述的结论。     

Reductive halogen elimination from phenols by organic radicals in aqueous solutions; chain reaction induced by proton-coupled electron transfer

Gamma-radiolysis and measurements of halide ions by means of ion chromatography have been employed to investigate reductive dehalogenation of chloro-, bromo-, and iodophenols by carbon-centered radicals, *CH(CH(3))OH, *CH(2)OH, and *CO(2)-, in oxygen-free aqueous solutions in the presence of ethanol, methanol, or sodium formate. While the reactions of 4-IC(6)H(4)OH with *CH(CH(3))OH and *CH(2)OH radicals are endothermic in water/alcohol solutions, the addition of bicarbonate leads to iodide production in high yields, indicative of a chain reaction. The maximum effect has been observed with about 10 mM sodium bicarbonate present. The complex formed from an alpha-hydroxyalkyl radical and a bicarbonate anion is considered to cause the enhancement of the reduction power of the former to the extent at which the reduction of the iodophenol molecule becomes exothermic. No such effect has been observed with phosphate, which is a buffer with higher proton affinity, when added in the concentration of up to 20 mM at pH 7. This indicates that one-electron reduction reactions by alpha-hydroxyalkyl radicals occur by the concerted proton-coupled electron transfer, PCET, and not by a two-step ET/PT or PT/ET mechanisms. The reason for the negative results with phosphate buffer could be thus ascribed to a less stable complex or to the formation of a complex with a less suitable structure for an adequate support to reduce iodophenol. The reduction power of the carbonate radical anion is shown to be high enough to reduce iodophenols by a one-electron-transfer mechanism. In the presence of formate ions as H-atom donors, the dehalogenation also occurs by a chain reaction. In all systems, the chain lengths depend on the rate of reducing radical reproduction in the propagation step, that is, on the rate of H-atom abstraction from methanol, ethanol, or formate by 4-*C(6)H(4)OH radicals liberated after iodophenol dehalogenation. The rate constants of those reactions were determined from the iodide yield measurements at a constant irradiation dose rate. They were estimated to be 6 M(-1)(s-1) for methanol, 140 M(-1)(s-1) for ethanol, and 2100 M(-1)(s-1) for formate. Neither of the tested reducing C-centered radicals was able to dehalogenate the bromo or chloro derivative of phenol.     

Anthralin: primary products of its redox reactions

One-electron reduction significantly enhances the ability of anthralin, 1, to act as a hydrogen atom donor. On annealing of an MTHF glass in which the radical anion of anthralin, 1*-, is generated radiolytically, this species decays mainly by loss of H* to give the anthralyl anion, 2- . On the other hand, radicals formed on radiolysis of matrices that are suitable for the generation of radical anions or cations are capable to abstract H* from anthralin to give the anthralyl radical, 2* . Both 2- and 2* are obtained simultaneously by mesolytic cleavage of the radical anion of the anthralin dimer. Contrary to general assumptions, the anthralyl radical is found to be much more reactive toward oxygen than the anion. All intermediates are characterized spectroscopically and by reference to quantum chemical calculations. Attempts to generate the radical cation of anthralin by X-irradiation of an Ar matrix containing anthralin led also to significant formation of its radical anion, i.e., anthralin acts apparently as an efficient electron trap in such experiments.     

Model for diffusion-limited electrochemiluminescence

An approximate analytic expression is derived, based on a novel model for the reactive–diffusive processes in a electrochemiluminescence (ecl) experiment. The physical system treated is one in which ecl is produced by stepping the voltage of a planar electrode to the diffusion-limited reduction value for an emitter species in the presence of a bulk oxidant precursor (9,10-DPA with benzoyl peroxide). The unknown rate constants are determined by a least-squares curve-fitting computer code. The model, though crude, provides an excellent fit to the ecl intensity versus time data, including the rise portion of the curve.     

Oxidation of cyclic dipeptides by photoinduced H-atom abstraction. A laser flash FT EPR and optical spectroscopy study

Laser flash photolysis with the Fourier transform electron paramagnetic resonance (FT EPR) and optical spectroscopy detection methods on the nanosecond time scale have been employed in order to investigate the oxidation mechanism of cyclic dipeptides glycine, alanine, and sarcosine anhydrides initiated by SO4*- or 9,10-anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (2,6-AQDS) triplet in oxygen free aqueous solutions. A direct hydrogen abstraction from the ring C-H position of an anhydride by both oxidants is proposed as the primary reaction, rather then an electron transfer from nitrogen followed by (alpha)C-H deprotonation. The overall second-order rate constants for the reaction with SO4*- were determined to be 7.2 x 10(7) M(-1) s(-1), 1.2 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1), and 5.2 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) for glycine anhydride, alanine anhydride, and sarcosine anhydride, respectively. The rate constants for 2,6-AQDS triplet as oxidizing species are about two times lower. The radical intermediate products derived from cyclic dipeptides observed on the microsecond time scale were assigned to the general structure of piperazine-2,5-dione-3-yl radical. These are spin polarized by the mechanisms of chemically induced dynamic electron polarization (CIDEP). For SO4*- as the oxidant the spectra are exhibiting an E/A* polarization pattern originating partially from F-pairs of two piperazine-2,5-dione-3-yl radicals.     

8-羟基喹啉对稀土钐和钇的萃取行为

研究了8-羟基喹啉（HQ）-庚烷体系从硝酸介质中萃取钐、钇的行为。 考察了HQ浓度、平衡水相pH值及NO-3离子浓度对稀土分配比的影响。 研究结果表明,稀土萃取分配比随水相pH值、8-羟基喹啉浓度的增加而增大,随水相中NO-3浓度的增高而降低。 根据斜率法及电荷平衡原理确定萃合物的组成为M(NO3)·Q(HQ)(OH), HNO3 体系中HQ萃取Sm3+、Y3+属络合机理。