The radical cation of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene: An ESR study

Two distinct radical cations have been observed by ESR in a γ-irradiated solid solution of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene in freon. INDO calculations of ES     

A nonelectrocyclic path from the cyclobutene cation radical to the 1,3-butadiene cation radical

The conversion of the cyclobutene cation radical to the 1,3-butadiene cation radical has been studied using MINDO /3 and ab initio SCF MO methods. Not only smooth electrocyclic but also stepwise, non-electrocyclic routes were considered. Both calculational methods agree that the preferred reaction path is a novel nonelectrocyclic one proceeding through an intermediate “cyclopropylcarbinyl cation radical.” The quantitative agreement in the activation parameters calculated by the two methods is excellent. The proposed intermediate also provides an attractive explanation for the mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns of the cyclobutene and butadiene cation radicals.     

A spectroelectrochemical study of the radical cation produced from a 1,3-diphenylpyrazoline derivative

The oxidation of PH₂ was studied spectroelectrochemically. The generated radical cation yields dimeric product which is subsequently oxidized in the same potential range. Dimer formation from PH₂ radical cation is not influenced by the presence of added base in the solution which is in contrast with previous observations with analogous systems. Quantitative estimates for some of the reaction rates is provided.     

Laser flash photolysis study on the retinol radical cation in polar solvents

Laser flash photolysis (LFP) of retinol in argon-saturated methanol gives rise to a transient at 580 nm (transient A). Formation of transient A is accompanied by a transient growth at 370 nm. The rate of this growth is retinol concentration-dependent. The transient growth at 370 nm was removed in the presence of N(2)O, which is known to scavenge solvated electrons. These results can be interpreted by formation of retinol˙(+) (λ(max) = 580 nm) and solvated electrons following LFP of retinol. Subsequently, the solvated electrons are rapidly scavenged by retinol to form retinol˙(-) (λ(max) = 370 nm in methanol). On the other hand, transient A is not ascribed to the retinyl cation, as was previously proposed, because the retinyl cation, generated from LFP of retinyl acetate, and transient A show different reactivities towards halide ions (e.g. k(Br) = 1.7 × 10(9) and 1.51 × 10(10) M(-1) s(-1) respectively, in acetonitrile). After demonstrating the identity of transient A as retinol˙(+), its reactions with carotenoids were examined in air-saturated polar solvents. In the presence of carotenoids, an enhancement in the decay of retinol˙(+) was observed and was accompanied by formation of the corresponding carotenoid radical cations via electron transfer from carotenoids to retinol˙(+). Furthermore, the reactivity of retinol˙(+) towards pyridine derivatives was investigated in air-saturated polar solvents. It was found that the decay of retinol˙(+) was accelerated with concomitant formation, with the same rate, of a transient at 370 nm. Similar observations were obtained with increasing pH of air-saturated aqueous 2% Triton X-100 of retinol˙(+). The 370 nm (or 380 nm in the case of Triton X-100) transient is attributed to the base adducts or deprotonated neutral radicals. On the basis of these results, the reactivities of the retinyl cation and retinol˙(+) are compared and the consequences of retinol˙(+) formation within biological environments are discussed.     

Laser flash photolysis study of methanol addition to the C60 radical cation

Stable alcohol adducts of buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀) can be created via addition to C₆₀ radical cations. The radical cations were generated by photosensitized electron transfer from C₆₀ in a solution of N-methylacridinium hexafluorophosphate and biphenyl. Growth and decay of the C₆₀ radical cation population was monitored by transient absorption spectroscopy at 980 nm. The lifetime of the transient decreases in the presence of methanol, supporting trapping of the radical cation.     

Ab initio classical trajectory calculations of 1,3-cyclobutanedione radical cation dissociation

Abstract  

The dissociation of 1,3-cyclobutanedione radical cation was studied by ab initio direct classical trajectory calculations at the BH&HLYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. A microcanonical ensemble using normal mode sampling was constructed by distributing 10 kcal/mol of excess energy above the transition state for the tautomerization of the keto-enol to the diketo form. A total of 210 trajectories were run starting from this transition state, yielding chemically activated 1,3-cyclobutanedione radical cation. The majority of the trajectories resulted in CH₂CO^+· + CH₂CO, with the activated CC bond breaking nearly twice as often as the spectator CC bond. The non-statistical behavior is observed because the rate of energy redistribution within the molecule is comparable to or slower than the dissociation rates. In addition to the expected products, dissociation to CH₂COCH₂^+· + CO and formation of a proton-transferred product HCCO^· + CH₃CO⁺ were also seen in some of the trajectories.     

EPR study of the alimemazine cation radical

The EPR spectrum of alimemazine cation radicals (ALMZ⁺) in a perchlorate single crystal has been studied at 293 K. Since strong exchange interactions between the radicals did not allow the determination of the hyperfine splitting constants, the spectrum of an ALMZ⁺ solution, frozen at 77 K, was also studied. The results, checked by computer simulation, indicate orthorhombic symmetry of the g(2.0075, 2.0059, 2.0023) and hfs (A=3.6G; A=2.0G; A=15.6G) tensors.     

EPR study of the phenothiazine cation radical

The EPR parameters of the phenothiazine cation radical (PTAZ⁺) have been determined with the sample in the form of a power and in sulphuric solution. The study of the solution at different temperatures in the 77–333 K range does not indicate conformational changes affecting the α proton, but shows a difference in g-values between the powder and the solution spectra. This variation can be interpreted as originated by changes in the molecular geometry of the cation ring system due to interactions with the solvent molecules.     

Mass spectrometry for investigations of gas-phase radical cation chemistry : The two step cycloaddition of the benzene radical cation and 1,3-butadiene

Mass spectrometric techniques are now used extensively for the study of gas-phase radical cation chemistry. The generation and structural properties, the unimolecular and bimolecular chemistry of some representative radical cation systems, and the methods of study are reviewed. The structure of the ionmolecule adduct produced in the reaction of the benzene radical cation and neutral 1,3-butadiene was investigated by collisionally stabilizing the adduct and then acquiring its collision-activated decomposition spectrum. The CAD spectrum of the adduct changes dramatically as a function of the degree of collisional stabilization. This observation is interpreted in terms of two distinct structures for the adduct. The species that is stabilized at 0.7 Torr has a CAD spectrum similar to the 2-phenyl-2-butene radical cation. The second structure, stabilized at 0.1 Torr, has a CAD similar to that of 1-methylindan. The results of these experiments are interpreted in terms of a two-step cycloaddition mechanism for the formation of the 1-methylindan radical cation.     

A 4 k matrix esr study of the radical cations of methyl formate: The primary radical cation and its rearrangement

It is found that an oxygen-centred n_π radical of HCOOCH₃ is produced radiolytically in CFCl₃ at 4.2 K without forming a σ* complex with a matrix molecule. This cation converts into the carbon-centred radical cation HC⁺(OH)OCH₂ by an intramolecular hydrogen-atom transfer upon warming to 77 K. This is clear experimental evidence for a McLafferty rearrangement of ester radical cations.     

The triethylenediamine cation radical: An ESR study

Compared with normal and bridge-head aminium cations, the triethylenediamine cation is relatively stable. Its ESR spectrum shows that the two nitrogen atoms and all the protons are magnetically equivalent even at 77 K. This favours a symmetrical ground state rather than a dynamic equilibrium between classical, asymmetric structures.     

The cycloaddition of the 1,3-butadiene radical cation with acrolein and methyl vinyl ketone

The 1,3-butadiene radical cation reacts with acrolein and methyl vinyl ketone to produce ‘stable’ adducts. The nature of the reaction and the structures of the adducts were investigated by collisional activation decomposition (CAD) combined with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), and also by Fourier transform mass spectrometry. The CAD spectra of gas-phase adducts were compared with those of suitable model compounds. On that basis, it was determined that the 1,3-butadiene radical cation undergoes a cycloaddition with these α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The butadiene radical cation serves as the ‘ene’, and the acrolein and methyl vinyl ketone react as dienes, forming cycloadducts having 2-ethenyl-2,3-dihydropyran radical cation structures.     

O-Alkylation of oxime with N-vinyl lactams induced by radical cation

Radical cation promoted O-alkylation of oxime with N-vinyllactam was achieved under base free condition by using catalytic tris(4-bromophenyl)aminium cation radical () as an initiator to produce the corresponding oxime ether in high yields.     

Laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy of the C3N radical

Electronic spectra of the C3N radical have been observed for the first time in the near ultraviolet wavelength region by laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy. Seventeen vibronic bands of the B 2Pii-X 2Sigma+ electronic transition system of C3N were identified in LIF spectra of products in a discharge of HC3N. The origin of the B 2Pii state was determined to be 27,929.985(1) cm(-1) from rovibrational analyses. It was found that observations of two types of 2Sigma vibronic levels, which have 2Sigma+ and 2Sigma+/- symmetries originated from excitations of the nu4 trans-bending mode (omega4=369.1(20) cm(-1)) with a large Renner-Teller (RT) interaction (epsilon4=-0.1549(50)), and the nu5 cis-bending mode (omega5=163.24(84) cm(-1)) with a small Renner-Teller interaction (epsilon5=-0.0503(68)), respectively. Vibronic levels, with excitations of the C-C stretching (omega3=869.7 cm(-1)) mode, were also identified. The spin-orbit interaction constant was determined to be Aso=-36.7(50) cm(-1) from the RT analysis. In dispersed fluorescence spectra from B 2Pii, vibrational structures of the low-lying electronically excited A 2Pii state were clearly observed with a strong progression due to the nu3' mode, together with those of the X 2Sigma+ state with weak intensities. The origin of A 2Pii, T0=1844(3) cm(-1), and the vibrational frequencies, omega3'=883(3) cm(-1) and omega5'=121(3) cm(-1) for A 2Pii, and omega3"=1054(3) cm(-1), omega4"=405(3) cm(-1), and omega5"=131(3) cm(-1) for X 2Sigma+, were determined. Time profiles of fluorescence from B 2Pii have short (50-200 ns) and long (>1 micros) decay components with quantum beats, indicating that there is a competition between radiative decay and the nonradiative internal conversion to vibrationally highly excited A 2Pii and X 2Sigma+.     

Theoretical study of the C3Cl radical and its cation

A theoretical study of C₃Cl and C₃Cl⁺ isomers has been carried out. The global minimum for C₃Cl is a cyclic C_2V species (a three-membered ring with an exocyclic chlorine atom). However, a quasi-linear CCCCl structure is predicted to lie only 3-5 kcal mol⁻¹ higher. This quasi-linear structure is floppy, since the linear arrangement lies only 2-3 kcal mol⁻¹ higher in energy. The cyclic and open-chain isomers have dipole moments of 1.986 and 3.363 D, respectively. In C₃Cl⁺ the global minimum is a linear singlet species, the singlet cyclic isomer lying about 19 kcal mol⁻¹ higher. The ionization potentials of cyclic and open-chain C₃Cl are estimated to be 9.17 and 8.21 eV, respectively, suggesting that these species should be easily ionized if present in the interstellar medium.     

Structures and cis-to-trans photoisomerization of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene radical cation: electron spin resonance and computational studies

The s-cis and s-trans isomer radical cations of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene (s-cis-HFBD+ and s-trans-HFBD+) were generated by a gamma-irradiated solid solution of the neutral HFBD molecule in solid matrix at 77 K and observed by means of electron spin resonance (ESR) and electronic spectroscopies. In comparing the experimental isotropic and anisotropic 19F hyperfine splittings with the computational ones by the DFT B3LYP and MP2 methods, the generated s-cis-HFBD+ and s-trans-HFBD+ radical cations were confirmed to be 2A2 and 2Bg electronic ground states in C2v and C2h symmetries, respectively. The present spectroscopic study revealed that the relative abundance of s-cis-HFBD+ to s-trans-HFBD+ was 4.0 immediately after being formed by gamma-irradiation, and subsequently most s-cis-HFBD+ was isomerized to s-trans-HFBD+ by visible-light illumination with 500-600 nm wavelength. The process of nonplanar HFBD ionizing to form stable planar s-cis- and s-trans-HFBD+ and the reaction mechanism of the cis-to-trans photoisomerization were discussed by (MS-)CASPT2//CASSCF calculated vertical excitation energies (Tv) and torsional potential energy curves (TPECs) of HFBD and HFBD+.     

Quantum mechanical study of the ring-closing reaction of the hexatriene radical cation

The ring-closing reaction of hexatriene radical cation 1(*)(+) to 1,3-cyclohexadiene radical cation 2(*)(+) was studied computationally at the B3LYP/6-31G* and QCISD(T)/6-311G*//QCISD/6-31G* levels of theory. Both, concerted and stepwise mechanisms were initially considered for this reaction. Upon evaluation at the B3LYP level of theory, three of the possible pathways-a concerted C(2)-symmetric via transition structure 3(*)(+) and stepwise C(1)-symmetric pathways involving three-membered ring intermediate 5(*)(+) and four-membered ring intermediate 6(*)(+)-were rejected due to high-energy stationary points along the reaction pathway. The two remaining pathways were found to be of competing energy. The first proceeds through the asymmetric, concerted transition structure 4(*)(+) with an activation barrier E(a) = 16.2 kcal/mol and an overall exothermicity of -23.8 kcal/mol. The second pathway, beginning from the cis,cis,trans rotamer of 1(*)(+), proceeds by a stepwise pathway to the cyclohexadiene product with an overall exothermicity of -18.6 kcal/mol. The activation energy for the rate-determining step in this process, the formation of the intermediate bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene via transition structure 9(*)(+), was found to be 20.4 kcal/mol. More rigorous calculations of a smaller subsection of the potential energy hypersurface at the QCISD(T)//QCISD level confirmed these findings and emphasized the importance of conformational control of the reactant.     

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics study of the rearrangement of the valeramide radical cation

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) studies of neutral (1) and ionized (1 (+.)) valeramide are performed with the aim of providing a rationalization for the unusual temperature effect on the dissociation pattern of 1(+.) observed in mass spectrometric experiments. According to CPMD simulations of neutral valeramide 1 performed at approximately 500 K, the conformation with the fully relaxed carbon backbone predominates (96 %). Conformational changes involving folding of the carbon backbone into conformers that would allow intramolecular H transfers are predicted not to take place spontaneously at this temperature because of the barrier heights associated with these transitions (3.5 and 6.9 kcal mol(-1)), which cannot be overcome by thermal motion alone. For 1(+.), CPMD simulations performed at approximately 300 K reveal a substantial stability of a conformation in which the carbon backbone is fully relaxed; no reaction is observed even after 7 ps. However, when conformers with already folded carbon-backbones are used as initial geometries in the CPMD simulations, the gamma-hydrogen migration (McLafferty rearrangement resulting in C(3)H(6)) is already completed within 2 ps. For this important process, the free activation energy associated with both a required conformational change and the subsequent H transfer equals 4.5 kcal mol(-1), while for the formally related delta-H shift (which eventually gives rise to the elimination of C(2)H(4)/C(2)H(5.)) it amounts to 7.0 kcal mol(-1). Since the barriers associated with conformational changes are energetically more demanding than those of the corresponding hydrogen transfers, 1(+.) is essentially trapped by conformational barriers and long-lived at approximately 300 K. At elevated temperatures (500 K), the preferred reaction (within 7.3 ps) in the CPMD simulation corresponds to the McLafferty rearrangement. The estimated free activation energy associated with this process amounts to 2.5 kcal mol(-1), while the free activation energy for the delta-H transfer equals 4.4 kcal mol(-1). This relatively small free activation energy for the McLafferty rearrangement might cause dissociation of a substantial fraction of 1(+.) prior to the time-delayed mass selection, which would reduce the C3/C2 ratio in the experiments conducted with metastable ions that have a lifetime in the order of some micros at a source temperature of 500 K.