A kinetic study of the electron-transfer reaction of the phthalimide-N-oxyl radical (PINO) with ferrocenes

A kinetic study of the one-electron oxidation of a series of ferrocenes (FcX: X = H, CO2Et, CONH2, CH2CN, CH2OH, Et, and Me2) by PINO generated in CH3CN by reaction of N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) with the cumyloxyl radical produced by 355 nm laser flash photolysis of dicumyl peroxide has been carried out. Ferrocenium cations were formed, and the reaction rate was determined by following the decay of PINO radical at 380 nm as a function of the FcX concentration. Rate constants were very sensitive to the oxidation potential of the substrates and exhibited a good fit with the Marcus equation, from which a lambda value of 38.3 kcal mol(-1) was calculated for the reorganization energy required in the PINO/ferrocenes electron-transfer process. Knowing the ferrocene/ferrocenium self-exchange reorganization energy it was possible to calculate a value of 49.1 kcal mol(-1) for the PINO/PINO- self-exchange reaction in CH3CN. Moreover, from the Marcus cross relation and the self-exchange rates of ferrocene and dimethylferrocene, the intrinsic reactivity of PINO in electron-transfer reactions has been calculated as 7.6 x 10(2) M(-1) s(-1). The implications of these values and the comparison with the electron-transfer self-exchange reorganization energies of peroxyl radicals are briefly discussed.     

Electron-transfer mechanism in the N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylanilines by the phthalimide-N-oxyl radical

The reactivity of the phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) toward the N-methyl C-H bond of a number of 4-X-substituted N,N-dimethylanilines (X = OMe, OPh, CF(3), CO(2)Et, CN) has been investigated by product and kinetic analysis. PINO was generated in CH(3)CN by reaction of N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) with Pb(OAc)(4) or, for the kinetic study of the most reactive substrates (X = OMe, OPh), with tert-butoxyl radical produced by 266 nm laser flash photolysis of di-tert-butyl peroxide. The reaction was found to lead to the N-demethylation of the N,N-dimethylaniline with a rate very sensitive to the electron donating power of the substituent (rho(+) = -2.5) as well as to the oxidation potential of the substrates. With appropriately deuterated N,N-dimethylanilines the intermolecular and intramolecular deuterium kinetic isotope effects (DKIEs) were measured for some substrates (X = OMe, CO(2)Et, CN) with the following results. First, intramolecular DKIE [(k(H)/k(D))(intra)] was found to be always different and higher than intermolecular DKIE [(k(H)/k(D))(inter)]; second, no intermolecular DKIE [(k(H)/k(D))(inter) = 1] was observed for X = OMe, whereas substantial values of (k(H)/k(D))(inter) were exhibited by X = CO(2)Et (4.8) and X = CN (5.8). These results, while are incompatible with a single step hydrogen atom transfer from the N-C-H bond to the N-oxyl radical, as proposed for the reaction of PINO with benzylic C-H bonds, can be nicely interpreted on the basis of a two-step mechanism involving a reversible electron transfer from the aniline to PINO leading to an anilinium radical cation, followed by a proton-transfer step that produces an alpha-amino carbon radical. In line with this conclusion the reactivity data exhibited a good fit with the Marcus equation and a lambda value of 37.6 kcal mol(-1) was calculated for the reorganization energy required in this electron-transfer process. From this value, a quite high reorganization energy (>60 kcal mol(-1)) is estimated for the PINO/NHPI(-H)(-) self-exchange reaction. It is suggested that the N-demethylated product derives from the reaction of the alpha-amino carbon radical with PINO to form either a cross-coupling product or an alpha-amino carbocation. Both species may react with the small amounts of H(2)O present in the medium to form a carbinolamine that, again by hydrolysis, can be eventually converted into the N-demethylated product.     

Reactions of simple and peptidic alpha-carboxylate radical anions with dioxygen in the gas phase

α-Carboxylate radical anions are potential reactive intermediates in the free radical oxidation of biological molecules (e.g., fatty acids, peptides and proteins). We have synthesised well-defined α-carboxylate radical anions in the gas phase by UV laser photolysis of halogenated precursors in an ion-trap mass spectrometer. Reactions of isolated acetate (˙CH(2)CO(2)(-)) and 1-carboxylatobutyl (CH(3)CH(2)CH(2)˙CHCO(2)(-)) radical anions with dioxygen yield carbonate (CO(3)˙(-)) radical anions and this chemistry is shown to be a hallmark of oxidation in simple and alkyl-substituted cross-conjugated species. Previous solution phase studies have shown that C(α)-radicals in peptides, formed from free radical damage, combine with dioxygen to form peroxyl radicals that subsequently decompose into imine and keto acid products. Here, we demonstrate that a novel alternative pathway exists for two α-carboxylate C(α)-radical anions: the acetylglycinate radical anion (CH(3)C(O)NH˙CHCO(2)(-)) and the model peptide radical anion, YGGFG˙(-). Reaction of these radical anions with dioxygen results in concerted loss of carbon dioxide and hydroxyl radical. The reaction of the acetylglycinate radical anion with dioxygen reveals a two-stage process involving a slow, followed by a fast kinetic regime. Computational modelling suggests the reversible formation of the C(α) peroxyl radical facilitates proton transfer from the amide to the carboxylate group, a process reminiscent of, but distinctive from, classical proton-transfer catalysis. Interestingly, inclusion of this isomerization step in the RRKM/ME modelling of a G3SX level potential energy surface enables recapitulation of the experimentally observed two-stage kinetics.     

Reactivity of phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) toward the phenolic O-H bond. A kinetic study

The reactivity of the phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) toward the OH bond of a series of substituted phenols was kinetically investigated in CH(3)CN. The reaction selectivity and the deuterium kinetic isotope effect were determined. Information on the kinetic solvent effect was also obtained with phenol as the substrate.     

Kinetic study of the hydrogen abstraction reaction of the benzotriazole-N-oxyl radical (BTNO) with H-donor substrates

[Reaction: see text]. The aminoxyl radical (>N-O*) BTNO (benzotriazole-N-oxyl) has been generated by the oxidation of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT; >N-OH) with a Ce(IV) salt in MeCN. BTNO presents a broad absorption band with lambda(max) 474 nm and epsilon 1840 M(-1) cm(-1), and spontaneously decays with a first-order rate constant of 6.3 x 10(-3) s(-1) in MeCN at 25 degrees C. Characterization of BTNO radical by EPR, laser flash photolysis, and cyclic voltammetry is provided. The spontaneous decay of BTNO is strongly accelerated in the presence of H-donor substrates such as alkylarenes, benzyl and allyl alcohols, and alkanols, and rate constants of H-abstraction by BTNO from a number of substrates have been spectroscopically investigated at 25 degrees C. The kinetic isotope effect confirms the H-abstraction step as rate-determining. Activation parameters have been measured in the 15-40 degrees C range with selected substrates. A correlation between E(a) and BDE(C-H) (C-H bond dissociation energy) for a small series of H-donors has been obtained according to the Evans-Polanyi equation, giving alpha = 0.44. From this plot, the experimentally unavailable BDE(C-H) of benzyl alcohol can be extrapolated, as ca. 79 kcal/mol. With respect to the H-abstraction step, peculiar differences in the DeltaS++ parameter emerge between an alkylarene, ArC(H)R2, and a benzyl alcohol, ArC(H)(OH)R. The data acquired on the H-abstraction reactivity of BTNO are compared with those recently reported for the aminoxyl radical PINO (phthalimide-N-oxyl), generated from N-hydroxyphthalimide (HPI). The higher reactivity of radical PINO is explained on the basis of the higher energy of the NO-H bond of HPI, as compared with that of HBT (88 vs ca. 85 kcal/mol, respectively), which is formed on H-abstraction from the RH substrate.     

Cu-facilitated C-O bond formation using N-hydroxyphthalimide: efficient and selective functionalization of benzyl and allylic C-H bonds

A highly efficient protocol for the benzyl or allylic C-H functionalization of simple hydrocarbons has been developed using stoichiometric amounts of N-hydroxyphthalimide and PhI(OAc)2 in the presence of CuCl catalyst. The reaction was revealed to proceed via a radical pathway, in which phthalimide N-oxyl (PINO) radical plays a dual role, serving as a catalytic hydrogen abstractor from hydrocarbons as well as a stoichiometric reagent to couple with the resultant alkyl radicals.     

Aerobic oxidation of β-isophorone catalyzed by N-hydroxyphthalimide: the key features and mechanism elucidated

Due to the insufficient understanding of the selective oxidation mechanism of α/β-isophorones (α/β-IP) to ketoisophorone (KIP), the key features in the β-IP oxidation catalyzed by N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) have been explored via theoretical calculations. β-IP is more favourable to being activated by phthalimide-N-oxyl radical (PINO˙) and peroxyl radical (ROO˙) than α-IP owing to the different C-H strengths at their reactive sites, thereby exhibiting selective product distributions. It was found that NHPI accelerates β-IP activation due to the higher reactivity of PINO˙ than ROO˙ and the equilibrium reaction between them, yielding considerable hydroperoxide (ROOH) and ROO˙. In addition, the ROOH decomposition is more favourable viaα-H abstraction by radicals than its self-dehydration and thermal dissociation. The strong exothermicity of this α-H abstraction, along with that from H-abstraction by co-yielded hot HO˙, is in favor of the straightforward formation of KIP, simultaneously leading to the isomerization of a few β-IP to α-IP and production of 4-hydroxyisophorone (HIP) and water. The proposed mechanisms, consistent with the experimental observations, allow for the deeper understanding and effective design of oxidation systems involving similar substrates or NHPI analogues that are of industrial importance.     

Atmospheric chemistry of CH3CHF2 (HFC-152a): kinetics, mechanisms, and products of Cl atom- and OH radical-initiated oxidation in the presence and absence of NO(x)

Smog chamber/Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopic techniques were used to study the atmospheric degradation of CH3CHF2. The kinetics and products of the Cl(2P(3/2)) (denoted Cl) atom- and the OH radical-initiated oxidation of CH3CHF2 in 700 Torr of air or N2; diluents at 295 +/- 2 K were studied using smog chamber/FTIR techniques. Relative rate methods were used to measure k(Cl + CH3CHF2) = (2.37 +/- 0.31) x 10(-13) and k(OH + CH3CHF2) = (3.08 +/- 0.62) x 10(-14) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). Reaction with Cl atoms gives CH3CF2 radicals in a yield of 99.2 +/- 0.1% and CH2CHF2 radicals in a yield of 0.8 +/- 0.1%. Reaction with OH radicals gives CH3CF2 radicals in a yield >75% and CH2CHF2 radicals in a yield <25%. Absolute rate data for the Cl reaction were measured using quantum-state selective LIF detection of Cl(2P(j)) atoms under pseudo-first-order conditions. The rate constant k(Cl + CH3CHF2) was determined to be (2.54 +/- 0.25) x 10(-13) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) by the LIF technique, in good agreement with the relative rate results. The removal rate of spin-orbit excited-state Cl(2P(1/2)) (denoted Cl) in collisions with CH3CHF2 was determined to be k(Cl + CH3CHF2) = (2.21 +/- 0.22) x 10(-10) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). The atmospheric photooxidation products were examined in the presence and absence of NO(x). In the absence of NO(x)(), the Cl atom-initiated oxidation of CH3CHF2 in air leads to formation of COF2 in a molar yield of 97 +/- 5%. In the presence of NO(x), the observed oxidation products include COF2 and CH3COF. As [NO] increases, the yield of COF2 decreases while the yield of CH3COF increases, reflecting a competition for CH3CF2O radicals. The simplest explanation for the observed dependence of the CH3COF yield on [NO(x)] is that the atmospheric degradation of CH3CF2H proceeds via OH radical attack to give CH3CF2 radicals which add O2 to give CH3CF2O2 radicals. Reaction of CH3CF2O2 radicals with NO gives a substantial fraction of chemically activated alkoxy radicals, [CH3CF2O]. In 1 atm of air, approximately 30% of the alkoxy radicals produced in the CH3CF2O2 + NO reaction possess sufficient internal excitation to undergo "prompt" (rate >10(10) s(-1)) decomposition to give CH3 radicals and COF2. The remaining approximately 70% become thermalized, CH3CF2O, and undergo decomposition more slowly at a rate of approximately 2 x 10(3) s(-1). At high concentrations (>50 mTorr), NO(x) is an efficient scavenger for CH3CF2O radicals leading to the formation of CH3COF and FNO.     

Mechanisms of reaction of aminoxyl (nitroxide), iminoxyl, and imidoxyl radicals with alkenes and evidence that in the presence of lead tetraacetate, N-hydroxyphthalimide reacts with alkenes by both radical and nonradical mechanisms

1,2-dideuterio-cyclohexene, 1,2-dideuterio-cyclooctene, and trans-3,4-dideuterio-hex-3-ene were reacted with three >NO* radicals: 4-hydroxyTempo, di-tert-butyliminoxyl, both used as the actual radicals, and phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) generated from N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) by its reaction with tert-alkoxyl radicals (t-RO*) and with lead tetraacetate. In all cases, except the NHPI/Pb(OAc)4 system, only mono >NO-substituted alkenes were produced. The 2H NMR spectra imply that 88-92% of monoadducts were formed by the initial abstraction of an allylic H-atom, followed by capture of the allylic radical by a second >NO*, while the remaining 12-8% appear to be formed by an initial addition of >NO* to the double bond followed by H-atom abstraction by a second >NO*. A substantial and sometimes the major product formed with the NHPI/Pb(OAc)4 system has two PINO moieties added across the double bond. Since such diadducts are not formed with the NHPI/t-RO* system, a heterolytic mechanism is proposed, analogous to that known for the Pb(OAc)4-induced acetoxylation of alkenes. A detailed analysis of the NHPI/Pb(OAc)4/alkene products indicates that monosubstitution occurs by both homolytic and heterolytic processes.     

Kinetics of self-decomposition and hydrogen atom transfer reactions of substituted phthalimide N-oxyl radicals in acetic acid

Kinetic data have been obtained for three distinct types of reactions of phthalimide N-oxyl radicals (PINO(.)) and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) derivatives. The first is the self-decomposition of PINO(.) which was found to follow second-order kinetics. In the self-decomposition of 4-methyl-N-hydroxyphthalimide (4-Me-NHPI), H-atom abstraction competes with self-decomposition in the presence of excess 4-Me-NHPI. The second set of reactions studied is hydrogen atom transfer from NHPI to PINO(.), e.g., PINO(.) + 4-Me-NHPI <=> NHPI + 4-Me-PINO(.). The substantial KIE, k(H)/k(D) = 11 for both forward and reverse reactions, supports the assignment of H-atom transfer rather than stepwise electron-proton transfer. These data were correlated with the Marcus cross relation for hydrogen-atom transfer, and good agreement between the experimental and the calculated rate constants was obtained. The third reaction studied is hydrogen abstraction by PINO(.) from p-xylene and toluene. The reaction becomes regularly slower as the ring substituent on PINO(.) is more electron donating. Analysis by the Hammett equation gave rho = 1.1 and 1.8 for the reactions of PINO(.) with p-xylene and toluene, respectively.     

Kinetic study of the phthalimide N-oxyl radical in acetic acid. Hydrogen abstraction from substituted toluenes, benzaldehydes, and benzyl alcohols

The phthalimide N-oxyl (PINO) radical was generated by the oxidation of N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) with Pb(OAc)4 in acetic acid. The molar absorptivity of PINO* is 1.36 x 10(3) L mol(-1) cm(-1) at lambda(max) 382 nm. The PINO radical decomposes slowly with a second-order rate constant of 0.6 +/- 0.1 L mol(-1) s(-1) at 25 degrees C. The reactions of PINO(*) with substituted toluenes, benzaldehydes, and benzyl alcohols were investigated under an argon atmosphere. The second-order rate constants were correlated by means of a Hammett analysis. The reactions with toluenes and benzyl alcohols have better correlations with sigma+ (rho = -1.3 and -0.41), and the reaction with benzaldehydes correlates better with sigma (rho = -0.91). The kinetic isotope effect was also studied and significantly large values of k(H)/k(D) were obtained: 25.0 (p-xylene), 27.1 (toluene), 27.5 (benzaldehyde), and 16.9 (benzyl alcohol) at 25 degrees C. From the Arrhenius plot for the reactions with p-xylene and p-xylene-d(10), the difference of the activation energies, E(a)(D) - E(a)(H), was 12.6 +/- 0.8 kJ mol(-1) and the ratio of preexponential factors, A(H)/A(D), was 0.17 +/- 0.05. These findings indicate that quantum mechanical tunneling plays an important role in these reactions.     

Laser flash photolysis and CIDNP studies of steric effects on coupling rate constants of imidazolidine nitroxide with carbon-centered radicals, methyl isobutyrate-2-yl and tert-butyl propionate-2-yl

Time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (TR-CIDNP) and laser flash photolysis (LFP) techniques have been used to measure rate constants for coupling between acrylate-type radicals and a series of newly synthesized stable imidazolidine N-oxyl radicals. The carbon-centered radicals under investigation were generated by photolysis of their corresponding ketone precursors RC(O)R (R = C(CH3)2-C(O)OCH3 and CH(CH3)-C(O)-OtBu) in the presence of stable nitroxides. The coupling rate constants kc for modeling studies of nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) experiments were determined, and the influence of steric and electronic factors on kc values was addressed by using a Hammett linear free energy relationship. The systematic changes in kc due to the varied steric (Es,n) and electronic (sigmaL,n) characters of the substituents are well-described by the biparameter equation log(kc/M- 1s(-1)) = 3.52sigmaL,n + 0.47Es,n + 10.62. Hence, kc decreases with the increasing steric demand and increases with the increasing electron-withdrawing character of the substituents on the nitroxide.     

Tuning the electronic structure of octahedral iron complexes [FeL(X)] (L = 1-alkyl-4,7-bis(4-tert-butyl-2-mercaptobenzyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane,X = Cl,CH(3)O,CN, NO). The S = 1/2 <==>3/2 Spin equilibrium of [FeL(Pr)(NO)

Two new pentadentate, pendent arm macrocyclic ligands of the type 1-alkyl-4,7-bis(4-tert-butyl-2-mercaptobenzyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane where alkyl represents an isopropyl, (L(Pr))(2-), or an ethyl group, (L(Et))(2-), have been synthesized. It is shown that they bind strongly to ferric ions generating six-coordinate species of the type [Fe(L(alk))X]. The ground state of these complexes is governed by the nature of the sixth ligand, X: [Fe(III)(L(Et))Cl] (2) possesses an S = 5/2 ground state as do [Fe(III)(L(Et))(OCH(3))] (3) and [Fe(III)(L(Pr))(OCH(3))] (4). In contrast, the cyano complexes [Fe(III)(L(Et))(CN)] (5) and [Fe(III)(L(Pr))(CN)] (6) are low spin ferric species (S = 1/2). The octahedral [FeNO](7) nitrosyl complex [Fe(L(Pr))(NO)] (7) displays spin equilibrium behavior S = 1/2<==>S = (3)/(2) in the solid state. Complexes [Zn(L(Pr))] (1), 4.CH(3)OH, 5.0.5toluene.CH(2)Cl(2), and 7.2.5CH(2)Cl(2) have been structurally characterized by low-temperature (100 K) X-ray crystallography. All iron complexes have been carefully studied by zero- and applied-field M?ssbauer spectroscopy. In addition, Sellmann's complexes [Fe(pyS(4))(NO)](0/1+) and [Fe(pyS(4))X] (X = PR(3), CO, SR(2)) have been studied by EPR and M?ssbauer spectroscopies and DFT calculations (pyS(4) = 2,6-bis(2-mercaptophenylthiomethyl)pyridine(2-)). It is concluded that the electronic structure of 7 with an S = 1/2 ground state is low spin ferrous (S(Fe) = 0) with a coordinated neutral NO radical (Fe(II)-NO) whereas the S = 3/2 state corresponds to a high spin ferric (S(Fe) = 5/2) antiferromagnetically coupled to an NO(-) anion (S = 1). The S = 1/2<==>S = 3/2 equilibrium is then that of valence tautomers rather than that of a simple high spin<==>low spin crossover.     

Hydroxylamines as oxidation catalysts: thermochemical and kinetic studies

Bond dissociation enthalpies (BDE) of hydroxylamines containing alkyl, aryl, vinyl, and carbonyl substituents at the nitrogen atom have been determined by using the EPR radical equilibration technique in order to study the effect of the substituents on the O-H bond strength of these compounds. It has been found that substitution of an alkyl group directly bonded to the nitrogen atom with vinyl or aryl groups has a small effect, while substitution with acyl groups induces a large increase of the O-H BDE value. Thus, dialkyl hydroxylamines have O-H bond strengths of only ca. 70 kcal/mol, while acylhydroxylamines and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), containing two acyl substituents at nitrogen, are characterized by BDE values of ca. 80 and 88 kcal/mol, respectively. Since the phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) has been recently proposed as an efficient oxidation catalyst of hydrocarbons or other substrates, the large BDE value found for the parent hydroxylamine (NHPI) justifies this proposal. Kinetic studies, carried out in order to better understand the mechanism of the NHPI-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of cumene, are consistent with a simple kinetic model where the rate-determining step is the hydrogen atom abstraction from the hydroxylamine by cumylperoxyl radicals.     

Formation of radicals in stepwise thermolysis of polyunsaturated polycarbosilane —[(Me2SiC≡C)4Me2SiCH=CH] n —

The onset temperature of radical formation in the stepwise thermolysis of polyunsaturated polycarbosilane —[(Me₂SiCC)₄Me₂SiCH=CH] _n — with n > 2 was found by ESR spectroscopy. Beginning from 230°C two types of radicals are formed. The first radical arises on heating to 240°C due to the delocalization of unpaired electrons over the polyunsaturated polymer systems to H atoms of the Et groups of the polymer. The second radical appears at temperatures 240°C due to delocalization to H atoms of the Me groups through the vacant 3d-orbital of the Si atom.     

One-electron oxidation of acetohydroxamic acid: the intermediacy of nitroxyl and peroxynitrite

The pharmacological effects of hydroxamate derivatives have been attributed not only to metal chelation or enzyme inhibition but also to their ability to serve as nitroxyl (HNO/NO(-)) and nitric oxide (NO) donors. However, the mechanism underlying the formation of these reactive nitrogen species is not clear and requires further elucidation. In the present study, one-electron oxidation of acetohydroxamic acid (aceto-HX) by (?)OH, (?)N(3), (?)NO(2), CO(3)(?-), and O(2)(?-) radicals was investigated using pulse radiolysis. It is demonstrated that only (?)OH, (?)N(3), and CO(3)(?-) radicals attack effectively and selectively the deprotonated form of the hydroxamate moiety, yielding the respective transient nitroxide radical. This nitroxide radical is a weak acid (CH(3)C(O)NHO(?), pK(a) = 9.1), which decays via a pH-dependent second-order reaction, 2k(2CH(3)C(O)NO(?-)) = (5.6 ± 0.4) × 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) (I = 0.002 M), 2k(CH(3)C(O)NO(?-) + CH(3)C(O)NHO(?)) = (8.3 ± 0.5) × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1)), and 2k(2CH(3)C(O)NHO(?)) = (8.7 ± 1.3) × 10(7) M(-1) s(-1). The second-order decomposition of the nitroxide yields transient species, one of which decomposes via a first-order reaction whose rate increases linearly upon increasing [CH(3)C(O)NHO(-)] or [OH(-)]. One-electron oxidation of aceto-HX under anoxia does not give rise to nitrite even after exposure to O(2), indicating that NO is not formed during the decomposition of the nitroxide radical. The presence of oxidants such as Tempol or O(2) during CH(3)C(O)NO(?-) decomposition had no effect on the reaction kinetics. Nevertheless, in the presence of Temopl, which does not react with NO but does with HNO, the formation of the hydroxylamine Tempol-H was observed. In the presence of O(2), about 60% of CH(3)C(O)NO(?-) yields ONOO(-), indicating that 30% NO(-) is formed in this system. It is concluded that under pulse radiolysis conditions, the transient nitroxide radicals derived from one-electron oxidation of aceto-HX decompose bimoleculary via a complex mechanism forming nitroxyl rather than NO.     

Effect of substituents on the stabilities of multiply-substituted carbon-centered radicals

The bond dissociation energies (BDEs) and radical stabilization energies (RSEs) which result from 166 reactions that lead to carbon-centered radicals of the type ˙CH(2)X, ˙CHXY and ˙CXYZ, where X, Y and Z are any of the fourteen substituents H, F, Cl, NH(2), OH, SH, CH[double bond, length as m-dash]CH(2), C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CH, BH(2), CHO, COOH, CN, CH(3), and CF(3), were calculated using spin-restricted and -unrestricted variants of the double-hybrid B2-PLYP method with the 6-311+G(3df,2p) basis set. The interactions of substituents X, Y, and Z in both the radicals (˙CXYZ) and in the precursor closed-shell molecules (CHXYZ), as well as the extent of additivity of such interactions, were investigated by calculating radical interaction energies (RIEs), molecule interaction energies (MIEs), and deviations from additivity of RSEs (DARSEs) for a set of 152 reactions that lead to di- (˙CHXY) and tri- (˙CXYZ) substituted carbon-centered radicals. The pairwise quantities describing the effects of pairs of substituents in trisubstituted systems, namely pairwise MIEs (PMIEs), pairwise RIEs (PRIEs) and deviations from pairwise additivity of RSEs (DPARSEs), were also calculated for the set of 61 reactions that lead to trisubstituted radicals (˙CXYZ). Both ROB2-PLYP and UB2-PLYP were found to perform quite well in predicting the quantities related to the stabilities of carbon-centered radicals when compared with available experimental data and with the results obtained from the high-level composite method G3X(MP2)-RAD. Particular selections of substituents or combinations of substituents from the current test set were found to lead to specially stable radicals, increasing the RSEs to a maximum of +68.2 kJ mol(-1) for monosubstituted radicals ˙CH(2)X (X = CH[double bond, length as m-dash]CH(2)), +131.7 kJ mol(-1) for disubstituted radicals ˙CHXY (X = NH(2), Y = CHO), and +177.1 kJ mol(-1) for trisubstituted radicals ˙CXYZ (X = NH2, Y = Z = CHO).     

Atmospheric chemistry of dimethyl phosphonate, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and dimethyl ethylphosphonate

Rate constants for the reactions of OH radicals and NO3 radicals with dimethyl phosphonate [DMHP, (CH3O)2P(O)H], dimethyl methylphosphonate [DMMP, (CH3O)2P(O)CH3], and dimethyl ethylphosphonate [DMEP, (CH3O)2P(O)C2H5] have been measured at 296 +/- 2 K and atmospheric pressure using relative rate methods. The rate constants obtained for the OH radical reactions (in units of 10(-12) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1)) were as follows: DMHP, 4.83 +/- 0.25; DMMP, 10.4 +/- 0.6; and DMEP, 17.0 +/- 1.0, with a deuterium isotope effect of k(OH + DMMP)/k(OH + DMMP-d9) = 4.8 +/- 1.2. The rate constants obtained for the NO3 radical reactions (in units of 10(-16) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1)) were as follows: DMHP, < 1.4; DMMP, 2.0 +/- 1.0; and DMEP, 3.4 +/- 1.4. Upper limits to the rate constants for the O3 reactions of < 8 x 10(-20) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) for DMHP and < 6 x 10(-20) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) for DMMP and DMEP were determined. Products of the reactions of OH radicals with DMHP, DMMP, and DMEP were investigated in situ using atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (API-MS) and, for the DMMP and DMEP reactions, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. API-MS analyses showed the formation of products of molecular weight 96 and 126, attributed to CH3OP(O)(H)OH and (CH3O)2P(O)OH, respectively, from DMHP; of molecular weight 110, attributed to CH3OP(O)(CH3)OH, from DMMP; and of molecular weight 124 and 126, attributed to CH3OP(O)(C2H5)OH and (CH3O)2P(O)OH, respectively, from DMEP. FT-IR analyses showed formation (values given are % molar yields) of the following: from DMMP, CO, 54 +/- 6; CO2, 5 +/- 1 in dry air; HCHO, 3.9 +/- 0.7; HC(O)OH, < 1.4 in dry air; RONO2, approximately 4; and formate ester, approximately 8; and from DMEP, CO, 50 +/- 7; CO2, 11 +/- 4; CH3CHO, 18 +/- 8; HCHO, < 7; HC(O)OH, < 6; RONO2, < or = 5; and formate ester, 5.0 +/- 1.5. Possible reaction mechanisms are discussed.     

(CH2)2N和(CH3)2NH+的密度泛函理论计算

用密度泛函理论UB3LYP／6-31G（d,p）方法研究了二甲胺自由基（CH3）2N及其质子化离子（CH3）2NH 的构象和超精细结构．在由构象研究得到的两种自由基的最稳定结构上,用密度泛函的UB3LYP和UB3PW91方法及从头计算的UHF、UMP2（FULL）方法计算了α-质子、β-质子和N核上的超精细偶合常数A（Hα）、A（Hβ）和A（N）结果表明：两种自由基中甲基内旋转的位垒均很低,分别为0．46kJ·mol-1（（CH3）2NH ）和2．6kJ·mol-1（（CH3）2N）．UB3LYP／6-31G（d,p）和UB3PW91／6-31G（d,p）计算的A（Hα）、A（Hβ）和A（N）与ESR实验结果符合得很好,UMP2／6-31G（d,p）方法的计算值与实验值符合得也较好．     

Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation study of the decomposition of the radical anion of nitromethane

The doublet potential energy surfaces involved in the decomposition of the nitromethane radical anion (CH(3)NO(2) (-)) have been studied by using the multistate extension of the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method (MS-CASPT2) in conjunction with large atomic natural orbital-type basis sets. A very low energy barrier is found for the decomposition reaction: CH(3)NO(2) (-)-->[CH(3)NO(2)](-)-->CH(3)+NO(2) (-). No evidence has been obtained on the existence of an isomerization channel leading to the initial formation of the methylnitrite anion (CH(3)ONO(-)) which, in a subsequent reaction, would yield nitric oxide (NO). In contrast, it is suggested that NO is formed through the bimolecular reaction: CH(3)+NO(2) (-)-->[CH(3)O-N-O](-)-->CH(3)O(-)+NO. In particular, the CASSCF/MS-CASPT2 results indicate that the methylnitrite radical anion CH(3)ONO(-) does not represent a minimum energy structure, as concluded by using density functional theory (DFT) methodologies. The inverse symmetry breaking effect present in DFT is demonstrated to be responsible for such erroneous prediction.