Highly stable dendritic trityl radicals as oxygen and pH probe

Novel dendritic trityl radicals (DTR1 and DTR2) with a TAM radical core, PAMAM branching and carboxylate exterior surface exhibit high stability towards oxidoreductants as evidenced by their electrochemical and EPR properties, offering potential application as dual oxygen and pH probe.     

Synthesis and characterization of ester-derivatized tetrathiatriarylmethyl radicals as intracellular oxygen probes

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy using paramagnetic probes has been employed as an important tool for the accurate determination of oxygen (O2) concentrations in biological systems. However, paramagnetic probes are still limited by their intracellular penetrability. Various esterified trityl derivatives were synthesized and characterized, and an X-ray structure of one of the triyl radicals was determined. The ester-derivatized trityls exhibited higher sensitivity to O2 concentration compared to the trityl tricarboxylate CT-03. Cyclic voltammetry was also carried out to assess the susceptibility of the trityl radicals to oxidation and reduction. Among all of the ester-derivatized trityls studied, facile hydrolysis of the acetoxymethoxy esters to the respective carboxylate was observed using porcine liver esterase. This study demonstrates that cellular permeability of the trityl radicals can be achieved by varying the type and number of ester groups. Therefore, ester-derivatized trityl radicals show great potential as intracellular EPR oximetry probes and imaging agents.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Hydrophilic Trityl Radical TFO for Biomedical and Biophysical Applications

Tetrathiatriarylmethyl (TAM, trityl) radicals have found wide applications as spin probes/labels for EPR spectroscopy and imaging, and as polarizing agents for dynamic nuclear polarization. The high hydrophilicity of TAM radicals is essential for their biomedical applications. However, the synthesis of hydrophilic TAM radicals (e.g., OX063) is extremely challenging and has only been reported in the patent literature, to date. Herein, an efficient synthesis of a highly water-soluble TAM radical bis(8-carboxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylbenzo[1,2-d:4,5-d′]bis([1,3]dithiol-4-yl)-mono-(8-carboxyl-2,2,6,6-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)benzo[1,2-d:4,5-d′]bis([1,3]dithiol-4-yl)methyl (TFO), which contains four additional hydroxylethyl groups, relative to the Finland trityl radical CT-03, is reported. Similar to OX063, TFO exhibits excellent properties, including high water solubility in phosphate buffer, low log P, low pK_a, long relaxation times, and negligible binding with bovine serum albumin. On the other hand, TFO has a sharper EPR line and higher O₂ sensitivity than those of OX063. Therefore, in combination with its facile synthesis, TFO should find wide applications in magnetic resonance related fields and this synthetic approach would shed new light on the synthesis of other hydrophilic TAM radicals.     

NO spin trapping and EPR studies on the photochemistry of aliphatic aldehydes

Radicals, such as acyl, hydrated acyl, alkyl and ketyl radicals, from aliphatic aldehyde photochemistry were detected by NO spin trapping and EPR techniques. Deuterium effects on EPR spectra and the generation of radicals by 2-amido-2-propyl radical attack on substrate molecules in aqueous solution via hydrogen-atom abstraction were applied to identify radicals produced photochemically from aldehydes. Aliphatic aldehydes used in the present investigation were formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde-d4, propionaldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, isopentanal and tert-pentanal. Possible reaction mechanisms are suggested.     

Reactivity of molecular oxygen with ethoxycarbonyl derivatives of tetrathiatriarylmethyl radicals

Tetrathiatriarylmethyl (TAM) radicals are commonly used as oximetry probes for electron paramagnetic resonance imaging applications. In this study, the electronic properties and the thermodynamic preferences for O2 addition to various TAM-type triarylmethyl (trityl) radicals were theoretically investigated. The radicals' stability in the presence of O2 and biological milieu was also experimentally assessed using EPR spectroscopy. Results show that H substitution on the aromatic ring affects the trityl radical's stability (tricarboxylate salt 1-CO2Na > triester 1-CO2Et > diester 2-CO2Et > monoester 3-CO2Et) and may lead to substitution reactions in cellular systems. We propose that this degradation process involves an arylperoxyl radical that can further decompose to alcohol or quinone products. This study demonstrates how computational chemistry can be used as a tool to rationalize radical stability in the redox environment of biological systems and aid in the future design of more biostable trityl radicals.     

Generation and reactivity of ketyl radicals with lignin related structures. On the importance of the ketyl pathway in the photoyellowing of lignin containing pulps and papers

[reaction: see text] Ketyl radicals with lignin related structures have been generated by means of radiation chemical and photochemical techniques. In the former studies ketyl radicals are produced by reaction of alpha-carbonyl-beta-aryl ether lignin models with the solvated electron produced by pulse radiolysis of an aqueous solution at pH 6.0. The UV-vis spectra of ketyl radicals are characterized by three main absorption bands. The shape and position of these bands slightly change when the spectra are recorded in alkaline solution (pH 11.0) being now assigned to the ketyl radical anions and a pKa = 9.5 is determined for the 1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2-phenoxyethanol-1-yl radical. Decay rates of ketyl radicals are found to be dose dependent and, at low doses, lie in the range (1.7-2.7) x 10(3) s(-1). In the presence of oxygen a fast decay of the ketyl radicals is observed (k2 = 1.8-2.7 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1)) that is accompanied by the formation of stable products, i.e., the starting ketones. In the photochemical studies ketyl radicals have been produced by charge-transfer (CT) photoactivation of the electron donor-acceptor salts of methyl viologen (MV2+) with alpha-hydroxy-alpha-phenoxymethyl-aryl acetates. This process leads to the instantaneous formation of the reduced acceptor (methyl viologen radical cation, MV+*), as is clearly shown in a laser flash photolysis experiment by the two absorption bands centered at 390 and 605 nm, and an acyloxyl radical [ArC(CO2*))(OH)CH2(OC6H5)], which undergoes a very fast decarboxylation with formation of the ketyl radicals. Steady-state photoirradiation of the CT ion pairs indicates that 1-aryl-2-phenoxyethanones are formed as primary photoproducts by oxidation of ketyl radicals by MV2+ (under argon) or by molecular oxygen. Small amounts of acetophenones are formed by further photolysis of 1-aryl-2-phenoxyethanones and not by beta-fragmentation of the ketyl radicals. The high reactivity of ketyl radicals with oxygen coupled with the low rates of beta-fragmentation of the same species have an important bearing in the context of the photoyellowing of lignin containing pulps and papers.     

NHC and visible light-mediated photoredox co-catalyzed 1,4-sulfonylacylation of 1,3-enynes for tetrasubstituted allenyl ketones

The modulation of selectivity of highly reactive carbon radical cross-coupling for the construction of C–C bonds represents a challenging task in organic chemistry. N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed radical transformations have opened a new avenue for acyl radical cross-coupling chemistry. With this method, highly selective cross-coupling of an acyl radical with an alkyl radical for efficient construction of C–C bonds was successfully realized. However, the cross-coupling reaction of acyl radicals with vinyl radicals has been much less investigated. We herein describe NHC and visible light-mediated photoredox co-catalyzed radical 1,4-sulfonylacylation of 1,3-enynes, providing structurally diversified valuable tetrasubstituted allenyl ketones. Mechanistic studies indicated that ketyl radicals are formed from aroyl fluorides via the oxidative quenching of the photocatalyst excited state, allenyl radicals are generated from chemo-specific sulfonyl radical addition to the 1,3-enynes, and finally, the key allenyl and ketyl radical cross-coupling provides tetrasubstituted allenyl ketones.

Unprecedented NHC and photocatalysis co-catalyzed radical 1,4-sulfonylacylation of 1,3-enynes has been realized, providing structurally diversified tetrasubstituted allenyl ketones via allenyl and ketyl radical cross-coupling.     

Properties of excited ketyl radicals of benzophenone analogues affected by the size and electronic character of the aromatic ring systems

The properties of benzophenone ketyl radical analogues with large aromatic ring systems, such as naphthylphenylketone (2), 4-benzoylbiphenyl (3), and bis(biphenyl-4-yl)methanone (4), were investigated in the excited state by using nanosecond-picosecond two-color two-laser flash photolysis. Fluorescence and transient absorption spectra of ketyl radicals of 2-4 in the excited state were observed for the first time. The fluorescence and properties of the excited ketyl radicals were significantly affected by the size and electronic properties of the aromatic ring systems. The reactivity of the ketyl radicals in the excited state with several quenchers was examined and they were found to show reactivity toward N,N-diethylaniline. In addition, for the benzophenone ketyl radical, a unique quenching process of the radical in the excited state by the ground-state parent molecule was found. The factors regulating the fluorescence lifetime of the ketyl radicals in the excited state are discussed quantitatively.     

Fluorescence spectra and lifetimes of chalcone ketyl radical anions

Fluorescence spectra and lifetimes have been measured at 77 K for the chalcone ketyl radical anion, and its hydroxy and methoxy derivatives. The radical anions were produced by γ-irradiation of sample molecules at 77 K in alkaline polyvinyl alcohol films and in EPA rigid glasses with sec-butylamine, followed by thermal bleaching (annihilation reactions of various unstable species at an elevated temperature). Fluorescence lifetimes of these radical anions (1.6–3.1 ns) were only slightly shorter than those of the corresponding ketyl radicals (3.1–5.5 ns).     

Time-resolved EPR studies of the benzophenone—diphenyl kethyl radical system. Possible evidence for quartet—doublet intersystem crossing

The photoreduction of benzophenone by several substrates has been studied by time-resolved EPR. When cyclohexadiene, MTHF, and decane are employed as hydrogen donors to the excited triplet state of benzophenone the diphenyl ketyl radical which is produced exhibits emissive electron spin polarization with rise times on the order of a few microseconds. It is suggested that the experimental observations can be explained by intersystem crossing to a quartet state in the excited ketyl radical.     

Persilylated phosphoranyl radicals: the first persistent noncyclic phosphoranyl radicals

Persistent noncyclic phosphoranyl radicals have been prepared and observed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) for the first time. They were obtained by UV-photolysis of a solution containing a bis(trialkylsilyl) peroxide (R = Me, Et) and a tris(trialkylsilyl) phosphite (R = Me, Et, iPr). EPR parameters (a(P) approximately 100 mT) are typical of phosphoranyl radicals exhibiting a trigonal-bipyramidal structure, with the odd electron in an equatorial site. Analysis of the pseudo-first-order decay shows that these phosphoranyl radicals decay by S(H)2 homolytic substitution on the bis(trialkylsilyl) peroxide and by loss of a trialkylsilyloxyl radical (alpha-scission reaction). Both the S(H)2 and alpha-scission reactions depend on the steric bulk of the alkyl groups, that is, the bulkier the alkyl group, the slower the S(H)2 and alpha-scission reactions.     

Chain mechanism in the photocleavage of phenacyl and pyridacyl esters in the presence of hydrogen donors

[reaction: see text] Excited phenacyl and 3-pyridacyl esters of benzoic acid react with an excess of aliphatic alcohols in a chain reaction process involving hydrogen transfer from the ketyl radical intermediates, leading to benzoic acid in addition to acetophenone and 3-acetylpyridine, respectively, as the byproducts. While the maximum quantum yields reached 4 in both cases, the 2- or 4-pyridacyl ester photoreduction proceeded with the efficiency below 100% under the same conditions. The investigation indicates that a radical coupling between ketyl radicals, both formed from the excited ester by hydrogen abstraction from an alcohol, is accompanied by the elimination of benzoic acid from the ester ketyl radical itself. A partitioning between two reactions was found to be remarkably sensitive to the chromophore nature, such as a position of the nitrogen atom in the pyridacyl moiety. The magnitude of a radical chain process is dependent on the efficiency of consecutive steps that produce free radicals capable of a subsequent ester reduction. The driving force of a possible electron transfer from the ketyl radicals to the ester has been excluded on the basis of cyclic voltametry measurements. The observed quantum yields of photoreduction were found to be diminished by formation of relatively long-lived light absorbing transients, coproducts obtained apparently by secondary photochemical reactions. Additionally, it is shown that basic additives such as pyridine can further increase the efficiency of the photoreduction by a factor of 4. A radical nature of the reduction mechanism was supported by finding a large kinetic chain length of an analogous reaction initiated by free radicals generated thermally yet again when phenacyl or 3-pyridacyl benzoate was used. Both phenacyl and pyridacyl chromophores are pronounced to be valuable as the photoremovable protecting groups when high quantum and chemical yields of carboxylic acid elimination are important, but higher concentrations of the hydrogen atom donors are not destructive for a reaction system or are experimentally impractical.     

Kinetics of the interaction of ketyl and semiquinone radicals with dioxygen. Concerted electron and proton transfer involving ketyl and semiquinone radicals

Kinetics of the interaction of ketyl and neutral semiquinone radicals with dioxygen was studied by the flash photolysis technique. The reactivity of neutral semiquinone radicals in the transfer of a hydrogen atom to O₂ is lower than that of ketyl radicals and increases as the reduction ability of the radicals increases, which give evidence for the charge transfer from the radicals to O₂ in the transition state of the reaction. The deuterium kinetic isotope effect of the reaction (up to 2.6) suggests considerable weakening of the O−H bond of the seminquinone radical in the transition state. A cyclic structure of the transition state similar to that in the reactions of ketyl radicals with hydrogen atom acceptors is proposed. In aprotic volvents, solvation has essentially no effect on the reactivity of neutral anthrasemiquinone radicals up to solvent nucleophilicityB≈240. In solvents with higher nucleophilicity and in protic solvents, their reactivity drops sharply. Hydrogen atom transfer reactions involving ketyl and neutral semiquinone radicals are shown to involve concerted electron and proton transfers, and to have transition states in which the partial transfer of an electron and a proton from the ketyl or semiquinone radical to an acceptor occurs. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1131–1137, June, 1997.     

Bimolecular self-reactions of ketyl radicals of acetophenone and diphenylaminyl radicals

The rate constants of self-reactions of ketyl radicals of acetophenone in n-heptane [2k = (3.2 ± 0.5) × 10⁹ M^?1 s^?1] and diphenylaminyl radicals in toluene [2k = (3.3 ± 0.5) × 10⁷ M^?1 s^?1] have been determined at 298 K using the flash photolysis technique. The rate constant of ketyl radicals is equal to the calculated diffusion constant and, therefore, this reaction is diffusion-controlled. The aminyl radical recombination rate is independent of the viscosity of the toluene/vaseline oil binary mixture (0.55 ? η ? 12 cP) and this reaction is activation-controlled. Reactivity anisotropy averaging due to the cage effect has been considered for ketyl and some other radicals. On the basis of the analysis it has been proposed that ketyl recombination involves formation of not only pinacol, but also iso-pinacols.     

Hydrodynamic properties of rigid pyridine-containing poly(phenylene) dendrimers in solutions

The hydrodynamic properties of pyridine-containing polyphenylene dendrimers of the third and fourth generations in chloroform are studied by photon correlation spectroscopy and viscometry. It has been demonstrated that the hydrodynamic characteristics of these macromolecules in dilute solutions are similar to those of nondraining spheres. The hydrodynamic radius of these dendrimers is shown to be proportional to their molecular mass to a power of 1/3. It has been established that the macromolecules of the dendrimers under examination in solutions conserve the conformation and size over a wide temperature range. The detailed analysis of hydrodynamic data allowed a conclusion concerning an extremely low content of the polymer inside the equivalent sphere for the above dendrimers in solutions. The compounds of interest may be referred to as rigid dendritic systems.     

激发态分子内质子转移(ESIPT)发色团修饰的树枝形聚合物合成及光物理研究

设计合成了0～4代外围修饰激发态分子内质子转移(ESIPT)发色团的聚酰胺-胺树枝形聚合物G0～G4,化合物结构经过IR,1H NMR,13C NMR和MS表征.稳态光谱研究表明,树枝形聚合物在四氢呋喃溶液中形成了聚集体,发色团酮式发光随着化合物代数增大呈先增加后减小的变化.质子化树枝形聚合物G1-H～G4-H能溶于水,并在水中形成20 nm左右的聚集体,发色团在聚集体疏水区中构象受限,仅发射酮式发光,并且发光强度受树枝形聚合物分子大小的影响.     

Polyphenylene dendrimers with different fluorescent chromophores asymmetrically distributed at the periphery

A new synthetic approach leading to asymmetrically substituted polyphenylene dendrimers is presented. Following this method, polyphenylene dendrimers decorated with an increasing number of chromophores at the periphery have been obtained up to the second generation. Especially the synthesis of a polyphenylene dendrimer bearing three donor chromophores and one acceptor chromophore has been realized. Intramolecular energy transfer within this molecule is demonstrated by applying absorption and fluorescence measurements.     

Novel guests for porous columnar thin films: the switchable perchlorinated trityl radical derivatives

TiO(2) and SiO(2) porous thin films consisting of tilted nanocolumns prepared by glancing angle evaporation (GLAD) have been infiltrated with guest derivatives belonging to the family of perchlorinated trityl radicals, novel guest molecules presenting an open-shell electronic configuration associated with paramagnetism, fluorescence, and electroactivity. The main driving forces for infiltration from aqueous solutions of the carboxylate-substituted radical derivatives are the electrostatic interactions between their negative charge and the net positive charges induced on the film pores. Positive charges on the internal surface of the films were induced by either adjusting the radical solution pH at values lower than the point of zero charge (PZC) of the oxide or passivating the nanocolumns oxide surface with a positively charged aminosilane. The infiltrated composite thin films are robust and easy to handle thanks to the physical protection exerted by the film columns. They also keep the multifunctionality of the used guests, as confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), UV-vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. To prove the electroactivity of the infiltrated porous films, a porous TiO(2) host layer was supported onto conductive indium tin oxide (ITO). By application of an appropriate redox potential, the guest radical molecules have been reversibly switched from their open-shell electronic configuration to their diamagnetic state and hence changed their optical properties. On the basis of these results, it is herein proposed that the appropriate surface functionalization of the pore internal surface of GLAD thin films can be used to prepare novel radical-oxide composite thin films usable for the development of robust switchable electrically driven photonic and magnetic devices.     

Pyrene as chromophore and electrophore: encapsulation in a rigid polyphenylene shell

Starting from the fourfold ethynyl-substituted chromophore 1,3,6,8-tetraethynylpyrene as core, a series of polyphenylene dendrimers was prepared in high yield by combining divergent and convergent growth methods. The fluorescence quantum yields (Q(f)>0.92) of the encapsulated pyrene chromophore were independent of the size of the polyphenylene shell. Fluorescence quenching studies and temperature-dependent fluorescence spectroscopy were performed to investigate the site isolation of the core. They indicate that a second-generation dendrimer layer is needed to efficiently shield the encapsulated pyrene and prevent aggregate formation. Alkali-metal reduction of the encapsulated pyrene core was carried out to afford the corresponding pyrene radical anions, for which hampered electron transfer to the core was observed with increasing dendrimer generation, which is further proof of the site isolation due to the polyphenylene shell. To improve film formation and solubility of the material, solubilizing alkyl chains were introduced on the periphery of the spherical particles. Furthermore, highly transparent films obtained by a simple drop-casting method showed blue emission mainly from the unaggregated species. The materials presented herein combine high quantum efficiency, good solubility, and improved film-forming properties, which make them possible candidates for several applications in electronic devices.     

On the mechanism of reaction of radicals with tirapazamine

Ketyl radicals produced by photolysis of ketones or di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) in alcohol solvents react rapidly with tirapazamine (TPZ). The acetone ketyl radical (ACOH) reacts with TPZ with an absolute second-order rate constant of (9.7 +/- 0.4) x 108 M-1 s-1. The reaction kinetics can be followed by monitoring the bleaching of TPZ absorption at 475 nm or the formation of a reaction product which absorbs at 320 and 410 nm. The ACOD radical reacts with TPZ in 2-propanol-OD with an absolute rate constant of (6.7 +/- 0.5) x 108 M-1 s-1, corresponding to a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 1.4. Deuteration of the radical on carbon (ACOH-d6) retards the reaction of the radical with TPZ even further (absolute rate constant = (4.8 +/- 0.04) x 108 M-1 s-1). This result corresponds to a KIE of 2.0. Radicals derived from dioxane and diisopropyl ether by flash photolysis of DTBP in ethereal solvent react with TPZ more slowly than do ketyl radicals. It is concluded that ketyl radicals react, in part, with TPZ in organic solvents by transfer of a hydrogen atom from the OH and CH3 groups of the ketyl radical to the oxygen atom at the N4 position of TPZ to form acetone or acetone enol and a radical derivative of TPZ (TPZH). The latter species absorbs at 320 and 405 nm, has a lifetime of hundreds of microseconds in alcohol solvents, and decays by disproportionation to form TPZ and a reduced heterocycle. The reduced heterocycle eventually forms a desoxytirapazamine by a polar mechanism. The results are supported by density functional theory calculations. It is proposed that dioxanyl radical will also react, in part, with TPZ by transfer of a hydrogen atom from the carbon adjacent to the radical center to the oxygen atom at the N4 position of TPZ. This produces the enol ether and the previously mentioned TPZH radical. It is further posited that ether radicals react a bit more slowly than ketyl radicals because they lack the second mode of hydrogen transfer (from the OH group) that is present in the ACOH radical. Our data are permissive of the possibility that ether radicals add to TPZ at a rate that is competitive with beta-hydrogen atom transfer.