Calculations on the electronic spectra of anilino,phenoxyl and benzyl radicals

The electronic spectra of benzyl, anilino and phenoxyl have been calculated, using two well known SCF-MO methods. Good agreement is found with experiment in all instances. However, the calculations still cannot explain the red shift produced by the addition of an extra electron to benzyl.

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Zesummenfassung Die Elektronenspektren des Benzyl-, Anilino- und Phenoxylradikals sind mit Hilfe zweier wohlbekannter SCF-MO-Methoden berechnet worden. Die Übereinstimmung mit den Experimenten ist überall gut. Die Rechnungen können jedoch nicht die Rotverschiebung erklären, die beim Hinzufügen eines Elektrons zum Benzylradikal erzeugt wird.

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Resume On calcule les spectres électroniques des radicaux benzyle, anilino et phénoxyle par deux méthodes SCF-MO bien connues. L'accord avec l'expérience est bon partout. Cependant, ces calculs n'expliquent pas l'effet bathocrome de l'addition d'un électron au benzyle.

     

Geometric and electronic similarities between transition structures for electrocyclizations and sigmatropic hydrogen shifts

This paper reports new theoretical evidence that supports previous proposals concerning the similarity between transition structures for electrocyclizations and sigmatropic hydrogen shifts. This evidence was obtained using two recently proposed methodologies, namely the so-called generalized population analysis and the formalism of molecular quantum similarity indices. Analysis of multicenter bond indices shows that the transition structures for cationic [1,n] hydrogen shifts do indeed have three-center indices that are similar to those of other three-center carbocations. In addition, the close resemblance of the electronic structures of electrocyclic and sigmatropic transition structures that differ by only a proton is supported by the values of their quantum molecular similarity indices.     

Geometric factor in prototropic reactions of neutral and charged radicals

Conclusions The difference between the rate constants of thermodynamically favorable proton-transfer reactions between NH- and OH-containing radicals and heterocyclic bases and those diffusion-controlled reactions is due to the reactivity anisotropy of the reagents.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 31–34, January, 1989.     

Persistent hydrogen-bonded and non-hydrogen-bonded phenoxyl radicals

The production of stable phenoxyl radicals is undoubtedly a synthetic chemical challenge. Yet it is a useful way to gain information on the properties of the biological tyrosyl radicals. Recently, several persistent phenoxyl radicals have been reported, but only limited synthetic variations could be achieved. Herein, we show that the amide-o-substituted phenoxyl radical (i.e. with a salicylamide backbone) can be synthesised in a stable manner, thereby permitting easy synthetic modifications to be made through the amide bond. To study the effect of H-bonding on the properties of the phenolate/phenoxyl radical redox couple, simple H-bonded and non-H-bonded o,p-tBu-protected salicylamidate compounds have been prepared. Their redox properties were examined by cyclic voltammetry and showed a fully reversible one-electron oxidation process to the corresponding phenoxyl radical species. Remarkably, the redox potential appears to be correlated, at least partially, with H-bond strength, as relatively large differences (ca. 300 mV) in the redox potential between H-bonded and non-H-bonded phenolate salts are observed. The corresponding phenoxyl radicals produced electrochemically are persistent at room temperature for at least an hour; their UV/Vis and EPR characterisation is consistent with that of phenoxyl radicals, which makes them excellent models of biological tyrosyl radicals. The analyses of the experimental data coupled with theoretical calculations indicate that both the deviation from planarity of the amide function and intramolecular H-bonding influence the oxidation potential of the phenolate. The latter H-bonding effect appears to be predominantly exerted on the phenolate and not (or only a little) on the phenoxyl radical. Thus, in these systems the H-bonding energy involved in the phenoxyl radical appears to be relatively small.     

Geometric and electronic structure of vitamin C radicals. A semiempirical study

The structure and properties of ascorbic acid (AA) radicals are considered by using semiempirical MINDO/3 and MNDO methods. It is found that the most stable radical is the AA anion, in accordance with ESR measurements. This radical is thermodynamically more stable than the parent molecule. The origin of the enhanced stability of AA is elucidated by using a particular form of the energy-partitioning technique. The pronounced reactivity of AA , on the other hand, can be rationalized by the unpaired spin and the high orbital energy of the singly-occupied MO. These features are probably responsible for the radical-trap behavior of AA . The properties of AA , certainly make an appreciable contribution to the biochemical versatility of ascorbic acid. Finally, it should be mentioned that side chains of AA and AA are very flexible which increases their chelating abilities.     

Polarographic study of some stable phenoxyl radicals

Conclusions A study was made of the polarographic reduction of phenoxyl radicals.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2844–2845, December, 1971.     

Photochemical reactions of stable phenoxyl radicals with oxygen

Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry -     

Electron transfer between protonated and unprotonated phenoxyl radicals

The reaction of phenoxyl radicals with acids is investigated. 2,4,6-Tri-tert-butylphenoxyl radical (13), a persistent radical, deteriorates in MeOH/PhH in the presence of an acid yielding 4-methoxycyclohexa-2,5-dienone 18a and the parent phenol (14). The reaction is facilitated by a strong acid. Treatment of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenoxyl radical (2), a short-lived radical, generated by dissociation of its dimer, with an acid in MeOH provides 4-methoxycyclohexa-2,5-dienone 4 and the products from disproportionation of 2 including the parent phenol (3). A strong acid in a high concentration favors the formation of 4 while the yield of 3 is always kept high. Oxidation of the parent phenol (33) with PbO(2) to generate transient 2,6-di-tert-butylphenoxyl radical (35) in AcOH/H(2)O containing an added acid provides eventually p-benzoquinone 39 and 4,4'-diphenoquinone 42, the product from dimerization of 35. A strong acid in a high concentration favors the formation of 39. These results suggest that a phenoxyl radical is protonated by an acid and electron transfer takes place from another phenoxyl radical to the protonated phenoxyl radical, thus generating the phenoxyl cation, which can add an oxygen nucleophile, and the phenol (eq 5). The electron transfer is a fast reaction.     

Vibrational spectroscopy of gas-phase neutral and cationic phenanthrene in their electronic groundstates

Various experimental methods are applied to retrieve the vibrational structure of phenanthrene in its neutral and cationic groundstates. The linear infrared (IR) absorption spectra in the 400-1650 cm(-1) range of jet-cooled phenanthrene and its cation, both clustered with either an argon or a neon atom, are obtained via photo-induced cluster dissociation spectroscopy. The spectra observed are in good agreement with calculated spectra of the bare species. However, the observed spectrum of cationic phenanthrene shows more lines and lines with different intensities in the 900-1400 cm(-1) range than expected from calculations. Additional spectra of the perdeuterated phenanthrene Ar cation, and the warm (T approximately > room temperature) bare phenanthrene cation are recorded. Also the mass-analyzed threshold ionization spectra of bare phenanthrene and phenanthrene-Ar are recorded and compared with each other. Comparison of the spectral data recorded to calculated spectra of bare neutral, cationic and cationic perdeuterated phenanthrene, as well as to IR spectra recorded in matrix-isolation experiments, explicitly demonstrates that cluster dissociation spectroscopy is a valid and powerful method to obtain IR spectroscopic information of bare neutral and cationic jet-cooled poly-aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Effects of metal ions on physicochemical properties and redox reactivity of phenolates and phenoxyl radicals: mechanistic insight into hydrogen atom abstraction by phenoxyl radical-metal complexes.

Phenolate and phenoxyl radical complexes of a series of alkaline earth metal ions as well as monovalent cations such as Na+ and K+ have been prepared by using 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(1,4,7,10-tetraoxa-13-aza-cyclopentadec-13-ylmethyl)phenol (L1H) and 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxa-16-aza-cyclooctadec-16-ylmethyl)phenol (L2H) to examine the effects of the cations on the structure, physicochemical properties and redox reactivity of the phenolate and phenoxyl radical complexes. Crystal structures of the Mg2+- and Ca2+-complexes of L1- as well as the Ca2+- and Sr2+-complexes of L2- were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis, showing that the crown ether rings in the Ca2+-complexes are significantly distorted from planarity, whereas those in the Mg2+- and Sr2+-complexes are fairly flat. The spectral features (UV-vis) as well as the redox potentials of the phenolate complexes are also influenced by the metal ions, depending on the Lewis acidity of the metal ions. The phenoxyl radical complexes are successfully generated in situ by the oxidation of the phenolate complexes with (NH4)(2)[Ce4+(NO3)6] (CAN). They exhibited strong absorption bands around 400 nm together with a broad one around 600-900 nm, the latter of which is also affected by the metal ions. The phenoxyl radical-metal complexes are characterized by resonance Raman, ESI-MS, and ESR spectra, and the metal ion effects on those spectroscopic features are also discussed. Stability and reactivity of the phenoxyl radical-metal complexes are significantly different, depending on the type of metal ions. The disproportionation of the phenoxyl radicals is significantly retarded by the electronic repulsion between the metal cation and a generated organic cation (Ln+), leading to stabilization of the radicals. On the other hand, divalent cations decelerate the rate of hydrogen atom abstraction from 10-methyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (AcrH2) and its 9-substituted derivatives (AcrHR) by the phenoxyl radicals. On the basis of primary kinetic deuterium isotope effects and energetic consideration of the electron-transfer step from AcrH2 to the phenoxyl radical-metal complexes, we propose that the hydrogen atom abstraction by the phenoxyl radical-alkaline earth metal complexes proceeds via electron transfer followed by proton transfer.     

Electronic structure and nature of the bands in electronic absorption spectra of stable phenoxyl radicals of indophenoxyl and galvinoxyl

On the basis of results from quantum chemical calculations, made using the CNDO/S approximation method and taking into account configurational interaction, it has been shown that the first long-wave and subsequently more intense bands in the electronic absorption spectra of the phenoxyl radicals indophenoxyl and galvinoxyl are due to ^* electron transfers. The bands related to the p^* electron transfers of unshared p-electron pairs of oxygen and nitrogen atoms are located between them. It is suggested that displacement of the spectrum bands into the red region in transferring from the indophenoxyl to the galvinoxyl radical is caused by a reduction of the electron acceptor capacity of the bridging atom between the phenoxyl groups of the radical.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 23, No. 6, pp. 737–740, November–December, 1987.