Electrochemical studies of the interactional mechanism and scavenging activity of antioxidants towards dinitroaromatics

Abstract  

In the work discussed in this paper, cyclic voltammetric results obtained for the interaction of ascorbic acid, β-carotene, and three structurally related flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, and morin) with the anion radical of 1,3-dinitrobenzene were used to determine their antioxidant activity. The extent of the antioxidant–anion radical interactions was measured as the antioxidant activity coefficient. Higher values of this coefficient obtained for the three flavonoids in DMF are indicative of their greater antioxidant activity than ascorbic acid and β-carotene in this solvent. On the basis of cyclic voltammetric responses, a possible mechanism of the reaction of the reduction product of 1,3-dinitrobenzene with the antioxidants is proposed. Hyperchem PM3 quantum mechanical semi-empirical calculations of charges on reactive sites of the antioxidants and the 1,3-dinitrobenzene anion radical were also carried out; the results obtained supported the proposed mechanism of interaction.