Photophysical properties and photoreduction of N-acetyl- and N-benzoylphthalimides

The photophysical properties and photoreduction of N-acetylphthalimide (AcP) and N-benzoylphthalimide (BzP), N-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoylphthalimide (trimethoxyBzP) and N-4-nitrobenzoylphthalimide (nitroBzP) were studied by steady-state and transient techniques. Radicals and their precursor triplet states were detected by flash photolysis. The triplet state properties of AcP and BzP were characterized. In contrast, no triplet absorption was observed with ns-detection for trimethoxyBzP and nitroBzP. Specific products are formed upon electron transfer from triethylamine to the photoexcited acylphthalimides. In addition, H-atom transfer from 2-propanol or other alcohols to the triplet state takes place. The properties of several radical intermediates involved in photoreduction of the acylphthalimides as well as some structure-function relationships are described.     

Mineral-assisted pathways in prebiotic synthesis: photoelectrochemical reduction of carbon(+IV) by manganese sulfide

Photoelectrochemistry on mineral surfaces has the potential to play a central role in the prebiotic syntheses of building blocks for biomolecules. In this study, photoreduction of C(+IV) as bicarbonate is used as a probe to investigate the photoelectrochemical properties of alabandite (MnS) colloidal particles. Our experimental results show that photoreduction occurs and that formate is the initial photoproduct. A quantum efficiency of 4.2% is obtained (pH = 7.5). The quantum efficiency is temperature-independent from 298 to 328 K. In addition to formate, longer chain carbon products are also produced. Ion chromatography shows the presence of acetate and propionate. Infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry indicate the formation of longer chain organic molecules that contain oxygenated functional groups. Our results suggest that some prebiotic syntheses could have occurred via photoelectrochemical reactions on semiconducting minerals.     

REACTION MECHANISM OF BENZOPHENONE-PHOTOINITIATED CROSSLINKING OF POLYETHYLENE

The radical intermediates, the crosslink microstructures, and the reaction mechanism of benzophenone (BP)-photoinitiated crosslinking of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and model compounds (MD) have been reviewed in detail.The spin-trapping electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra obtained from the LDPE/BP systems with spin-trap agents showthat two kinds of polymer radical intermediates are mainly formed: tertiary carbon and secondary carbon radicals. The spin-trapping ESR studies of MD/BP systems give further evidence that photocrosslinking reactions of PE predominantly takeplace at sites of tertiary carbon, secondary carbon, and especially allylic carbon when available. The high resolution ~(13)C-NMR spectra obtained from LDPE and MD systems show that the crosslink microstructures have H- and Y-type links andthat their concentrations are of the same order. The fluorescence, ESR ~(13)C and ~1H-NMR spectra from the PE and MDsystems demonstrate that the main photoreduction product of BP(PPB) is benzpinacol formed by the recombination of twodiphenylhydroxymethyl (K·) radical intermediates. Two new PPB products: an isomer of benzpinacol with quinoid structure,1-phenylhydroxymethylene-4-diphenylhydroxymethyl-2, 5-cyclohexadiene and three kinds of α-alkyl-benzhydrols have beendetected and identified. These results provide new experimental evidence for elucidating the reaction mechanism in the BP-photoinitiated crosslinking of polyethylene.     

A new mechanism of benzophenone photoreduction in photoinitiated crosslinking of polyethylene and its model compounds

The photolytic products and a new photoreduction mechanism of benzophenone (BP) as a photoinitiator in the photocrosslinking of polyethylene (PE) and its model compounds (MD) have been studied by means of fluorescence, ESR, ¹³C and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The fluorescence spectra from the PE and MD systems demonstrate that the main photoreduction product of BP (PPB) is benzpinacol formed by the recombination of two diphenylhydroxymethyl (K^•) radical intermediates. The ESR spectrum obtained from the UV irradiation of the MD/BP system gives positive evidence of K^• radicals. Two new PPB products: an isomer of benzpinacol with quinoid structure, 1‐phenyl‐hydroxymethylene‐4‐diphenyl‐hydroxymethyl‐2,5‐cyclohexa‐diene and three kinds of α‐alkylbenzhydrols have been detected and identified for the first time by ¹³C and ¹H NMR spectroscopy from the MD systems. The latter could be formed by the reactions of K^• radicals with alkyl radicals produced by hydrogen abstraction of the excited triplet state ³(BP)* from polyethylene or its model compounds. These results provide new experimental evidence for elucidating the photoreduction mechanism of BP in the photoinitiated crosslinking of polyethylene. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 999–1005, 2000     

Photoreaction of 2-halo-N-pyridinylbenzamide: intramolecular cyclization mechanism of phenyl radical assisted with n-complexation of chlorine radical

The photochemical behavior of 2-halo-N-pyridinylbenzamide (1-4 in Chart 1) was studied. The photoreaction of 2-chloro-N-pyridinylbenzamides 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4 afforded photocyclized products, benzo[c]naphthyridinones (6-9 and 16), in high yield, whereas the bromo analogues 1b, 2b, and 3b produced extensively photoreduced products, N-pyridinylbenzamides (1c, 10, and 11), with minor photocyclized product. Since the photocyclization reaction of 2-chloro-N-pyridinylbenzamide is retarded by the presence of oxygen and sensitized by the presence of a triplet sensitizer, acetone or acetophenone, a triplet state of the chloro analogue is involved in the reaction. Since several radical intermediates, particularly n-complexes of chlorine radical, are identified in the laser flash photolysis of 2-chloro-N-pyridinylbenzamide, an intramolecular cyclization mechanism of phenyl radical assisted with n-complexation of chlorine radical for the cyclization reaction is proposed: the triplet state (78 kcal/mol) of the chloro analogue (1a), which is populated by the excitation of 1a undergoes a homolytic cleavage of the C-Cl bond to give phenyl and chlorine radicals; while chlorine radical holds the neighbor pyridinyl ring with its n-complexation, the intramolecular arylation of the phenyl radical with the pyridinyl ring proceeds to produce a conjugated 2,3-dihydropyridinyl radical and then the conjugated radical aromatizes to afford a cyclized product, benzo[c]naphthyridinone by ejecting a hydrogen. The photoreduction product can be formed by hydrogen atom abstraction of the phenyl sigma radical from the environment.     

Liquid|liquid|electrode triple-phase boundary photovoltammetry of pentoxyresorufin in 4-(3-phenylpropyl)pyridine

Voltammetric responses of pentoxyresorufin in 4-(3-phenylpropyl)-pyridine (PPP) microdroplets immersed in aqueous electrolyte are investigated in the absence and in the presence of light. The reduction of pentoxyresorufin to leuco-pentoxyresorufin in the dark is shown to occur in a two-electron, two-proton process sensitive to the aqueous pH and the PPP|aqueous electrolyte interfacial tension. No significant net photoelectrochemical current responses are observed, although transient responses indicative of distinct electron and hole charge carriers are seen in the presence of pentoxyresorufin. EPR evidence confirms the formation of radical intermediates upon illumination. As a coreactant, duroquinone in the PPP microdroplet phase is investigated and also shown to undergo two-electron, two-proton reduction (to duroquinol) without significant photoelectrochemical activity. When investigated in combination, pentoxyresorufin acts as a photocatalyst for the oxidation of duroquinol to duroquinone. Wavelength-resolved photovoltammetry experiments clearly implicate pentoxyresorufin as the primary photoexcited intermediate. The photoelectrochemical mechanism is explained on the basis of the presence of a long-lived (possibly charge-separated) photoexcited intermediate in the PPP microphase. Implications for light-energy harvesting are discussed.     

An ESR and UV Spectroscopic Study on the Photoreduction of para-Nitroaniline

The products formed in the photoreduction of para-nitroaniline were studied by the techniques of ESR spectroscopy and UV spectrophotometry. It was shown that the main radical products of the reaction in the presence of oxygen are the phenyl radical (in benzene solution) and the benzyl, phenylcarboxyl, and phenyl radicals (in toluene solution). The rate-limiting step in the formation of radical products and solvent hydroxylation products is intersystem crossing in the nitrene adduct with molecular oxygen.     

QUENCHING OF TRIPLET BENZOPHENONE BY VITAMINS E and C and BY SULFUR CONTAINING AMINO ACIDS and PEPTIDES

Abstract— The quenching rate of triplet benzophenone in water and/or water mixtures has been determined employing vitamin C, vitamin E, cystine, cysteine, reduced and oxidized glutathione, methionine and DL-penicillamine. In these systems, the ketyl radical quantum yield and the benzophenone photoreduction yield have also been measured. The ketyl quantum yield is 1.0 in presence of vitamin C and smaller than 0.3 in presence of glutathione, cysteine and cystine. The data imply that quenching by thiols and disulfides takes place, at least in very polar solvents, mainly by a mechanism involving charge transfer intermediates.     

Electrochemical detection of sugar-related compounds using boron-doped diamond electrodes

Electrochemical detection of sugar-related compounds was conducted using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode as a detector for flow-injection analysis (FIA). Sugar-related compounds oxidize at high applied potentials, for which the BDD electrode is suitable for electrochemical measurements. Conditions for an FIA system with a BDD detector were optimized, and the following detection limits were achieved for sugar-related compounds: monosaccharides, 25-100 pmol; sugar alcohols, 10 pmol; and oligosaccharides, 10 pmol. The detection limit for monosaccharide D-glucose (Glu) was 105 pmol (S/N = 3). A linear range was acquired from the detection limit to 50 nmol, and the relative standard deviation was 0.65% (20 nmol, n = 6). A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column was added to the system between the sample injector and the detector and detection limits to the picomole level were achieved, which is the same for the HPLC system and the FIA system. The electrochemical oxidation reaction of Glu was examined using cyclic voltammetry with the BDD detector. The reaction proved to be irreversible, and proceeded according to the following two-step mechanism: (1) application of a high potential (2.00 V vs. Ag/AgCl) to the electrode causes water to electrolyze on the electrode surface with the simultaneous generation of a hydroxyl radical on the surface, and (2) the hydroxyl radical indirectly oxidizes Glu. Thus, Glu can be detected by an increase in the oxidation current caused by reactions with hydroxy radicals.     

Photoactive intermediates in the photoreduction of bichromates

It was found that labile photoactive intermediates, absorbing in the region of 650 nm, are formed during the photoreduction of bichromates in isopropyl alcohol. They were interpreted as the oxyanions of pentavalent chromium in coordination with the radical products from phototransfer of an electron. L. V. Pisarzhevskii Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 31 Prospekt Nauki, Kiev 252039, Ukraine. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 227–230, July–August, 1999.     

Radical stabilization is crucial in the mechanism of action of lysine 5,6-aminomutase: role of tyrosine-263α as revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

Adenosylcobalamin- and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent lysine 5,6-aminomutase utilizes free radical intermediates to mediate 1,2-amino group rearrangement, during which an elusive high-energy aziridincarbinyl radical is proposed to be central in the mechanism of action. Understanding how the enzyme participates in stabilizing any of the radical intermediates is fundamentally significant. Y263F mutation abolished the enzymatic activity. With isotope-edited EPR methods, the roles of the Tyr263α residue in the putative active site are revealed. The Tyr263α residue stabilizes a radical intermediate, which most likely is the aziridincarbinyl radical, either by acting as a spin-relay device or serving as an anchor for the pyridine ring of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate through aromatic π-stacking interactions during spin transfer. The Tyr263α residue also protects the radical intermediate from interception by molecular oxygen. This study supports the proposed reaction mechanism, including the aziridincarbinyl radical, which has eluded detection for more than two decades.     

Rapid finding and quantification of the major antioxidant in water extracts of three marine drug organisms from China by online HPLC-DAD/MS-DPPH

A method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detector coupled with electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry and an online detection system for radical scavenging was established and used to rapidly find and quantify antioxidant compounds in the water extracts of Hippocampus japonicus Kaup, Hippocampus kuda Bleeker and Syngnathus acus Linnaeus. The online screening results revealed the presence of one major radical scavenging compound identified as hypoxanthine by comparison of mass data and retention time with the standard. Subsequently, the developed HPLC method was applied to quantify hypoxanthine in different H. japonicus, H. kuda and S. acus samples. The results indicated that the developed HPLC method is simple and reliable for the quantification of hypoxanthine with a detection limit at 0.002 μg mL(-1), and a high recovery from 96.3% to 102.1%. This method provides a powerful tool for rapid identification and quantification of free radical scavenging compounds in complex marine natural products.     

Kinetic and mechanistic studies on the reactions of peroxynitrite with estrone and phenols

Reaction of peroxynitrite with estrone, a female sex hormone, was carried out in tetrahydrofuran (THF)/H₂O (8: 2) basic solutions. The major products are the corresponding o-quinone, nitroestrone and 2,2′-biphenol. The reaction of phenols with peroxynitrite under the same conditions leads also to the formation of quinones, nitrophenols and biphenols. The major mechanistic pathways take place via a one-electron oxidation of the phenolic group leading to the formation of a phenoxyl radical intermediate which is further oxidized by peroxynitrite (or by intermediates generated from peroxynitrite) to give the final products. A Hammett correlation of the rate constants for the oxidation of meta substituted phenols support a radical mechanism. The kinetic isotope factors rule out the involvement of a C-H bond cleavage in the rate-determining step. A multistep mechanism showing major intermediates involved in the reaction and the final products has been proposed. Published in Russian in Kinetika i Kataliz, 2009, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 96–105. The article is published in the original.     

PHOTOREDUCTION OF THIONINE BY WATER

Abstract —The photoreduction of thionine by water has been studied, using a technique applied in earlier work on photoreduction of methylene blue. It is found for thionine as for methylene blue, that a long-lived excited intermediate is formed, and that two such intermediates react to produce a single reduced molecule, thus providing adequate energy for the reaction. The mechanism proposed for methylene blue photoreduction is shown to be applicable to thionine photoreduction as well, indicating the unimportance of the amine methyl groups. Although in previous work it was suggested that H₂O was the reducing agent, none of them, however, could determine the H₂O₂ formed. The formation of H₂O₂ is confirmed in this work, and the kinetics of its formation are shown to be in accordance with the mechanism.     

Spectroelectrochemical detector for flow-injection systems and liquid chromatography

Flow-through spectroelectrochemical detectors for flow-injection systems and liquid chromatography are described. The detectors have a rectangular flow channel with a reticulated vitreous carbon working electrode followed by an open optical window. The dead volumes of the cells are 27 μl (liquid chromatography) and 80 μl (flow injection). In situ spectral monitoring of reaction products and intermediates for compounds that are both weakly and highly absorbing is demonstrated by using o-tolidine and N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine. As a detector for flow-injection systems, components in two-component mixtures can be quantified. As a detector for liquid chromatography, simultaneous absorbance and electrochemical chromatograms allow more eluting compounds to be identified and quantified. Mixtures of nitro- and chloro-phenols are used to illustrate the simultaneous profiling of spectral and redox properties.     

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.     

Photolysis of nitroso compounds—III: 2-Nitro-2-nitrosopropane

The photodecomposition of 2-nitro-2-nitrosopropane (2-propylpseudonitrole) with light of λ > 540 nm was studied. The product distribution changes drastically with the nature of the solvent but can be explained readily by homolytic cleavage of the CNO bond. No evidence of photoreduction by an excited state of the nitrosocompound was obtained.In aprotic solvents the major products were acetone, 2,2-dinitropropane, 2-nitropropene, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide and nitrogen. In methanol methyl nitrite, acetoxime, acetone dimethylketal and acetone together with dinitrogen monoxide and water were the main products. This pronounced solvent influence is shown to be caused by the solvolysis (in methanol) or secondary thermal decomposition (in aprotic solvents) of labile intermediates.The 2-nitropropyl radical formed in the primary dissociative step does not take part in any hydrogen abstraction reactions under the experimental conditions employed.     

Determination of dye intermediates in oxidative hair dyes by fused-silica capillary gas chromatography

A fused-silica capillary gas chromatographic method is described for the determination of dye intermediates in oxidative hair dyes. An appropriate amount of hair dye sample is dissolved in 10 ml of methanol containing 0.25 g of ammonium thioglycolate and an appropriate amount of 2-amino-4-methylphenol as an internal standard. This solution is directly injected into a gas chromatograph. A fused-silica capillary column with cross-linked methyl silicone OV-1 or SE-54 as a liquid phase yields excellent resolution of dye intermediates. Some factors affecting the quantitation of dye intermediates are discussed. The proposed method gave good recoveries and reproducibilities, and permits simultaneous determination of various types of dye intermediates without any pretreatment. The use of a nitrogen-phosphorus detector allows the selective detection of nitrogen-containing dye intermediates. This simple and versatile method is applicable for the determination of dye intermediates in commercial hair dyes.     

Evaluation and comparison of two improved techniques for the on-line detection of antioxidants in liquid chromatography eluates

Two methods for the on-line detection in HPLC eluates of analytes possessing radical scavenging activity were improved and compared. The instrumental set-up of the method that is based on on-line inhibition of luminol chemiluminescence (CL) by antioxidants was improved using better quality syringe pumps, employing a diode array detector, and introducing a mixing/neutralisation coil and a pulse damper. Sensitivity of the HPLC-CL detection increased by a factor of 4. Post-column neutralisation of eluates improved compatibility of this detection method with acidified HPLC eluents. The second method, which is based on the post-column quenching of 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH*), was improved by readjusting composition and flow-rate of the reagent, mounting an additional pulse damper and detecting unreacted DPPH* with a detector equipped with a tungsten lamp. Purging of the DPPH* solution with He gas prior to analysis was introduced. This led to 30-fold better detection limits. The improved methods were compared with respect to limits of detection, the radical scavenging mechanism involved, compatibility with common HPLC solvents and pH range, and some technical aspects. The techniques described have high potential for the rapid identification of radical scavengers in complex samples like plant extracts.     

Comparative evaluation of four detectors in the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of chiral nonaromatic alcohols

A comparative evaluation of ultraviolet, polarimetric, refractive index, and evaporative light-scattering detection coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography has been developed for the separation and quantitation of the enantiomers of chiral nonaromatic alcohols, some of which are intermediates in the synthesis of chiral drugs. (R,S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol; (R,S)-glycidol; and (R,S)-1-(4-morpholino)-2-octanol are selected as model compounds in order to compare the detection sensitivity and the linearity of the response with the four detectors. Separation of the enantiomers is performed using chiral stationary phases in normal-phase liquid chromatography. A one-day validation is achieved for (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol with each detector, and limits of quantitation are determined for the three compounds. Advantages and limitations of the four detectors are discussed.