Separation of polar and steric effects on absolute rate constants and arrhenius parameters for the reaction of tert-butyl radicals with alkenes

Absolute rate constants and their temperature dependencies were measured for the reaction of tert-butyl radicals with 24 substituted ethenes and several other compounds in 2-propanol solution by time-resolved electron spin resonance. At 300 K the rate constants cover the range from 60 M^?1 s^?1 (1,2-dimethylene) over 16,500 M^?1 s^?1 (vinyl-chloride) to 460,000 M^?1 s^?1 (2-vinylpyridine). For the mono- and 1,1-disubstituted ethenes log k₃₀₀ increases and the activation energy decreases with increasing electron affinity of the olefins. The frequency factors are in the range log A/M^?1 s^?1 = 7.5 ± 1.0 as typical for addition reactions, with minor exceptions. Electron affinity (polar) and steric effects on reactivity are separated for the addition of tert-butyl to chloro- and methyl-substituted ethylenes. A comparison with rate data for methyl, ethyl, 2-propyl, and other radicals indicates both polar and steric effects on radical substitution.     

Reaction of Aromatic Peroxyl Radicals with Alkynes: A Mass Spectrometric and Computational Study Using the Distonic Radical Ion Approach

The reaction of the aromatic distonic peroxyl radical cations N‐methyl pyridinium‐4‐peroxyl (PyrOO^.+) and 4‐(N,N,N‐trimethyl ammonium)‐phenyl peroxyl (AnOO^.+), with symmetrical dialkyl alkynes 10a – c was studied in the gas phase by mass spectrometry. PyrOO^.+ and AnOO^.+ were produced through reaction of the respective distonic aryl radical cations Pyr^.+ and An^.+ with oxygen, O₂. For the reaction of Pyr^.+ with O₂ an absolute rate coefficient of k₁=7.1×10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 and a collision efficiency of 1.2 % was determined at 298 K. The strongly electrophilic PyrOO^.+ reacts with 3‐hexyne and 4‐octyne with absolute rate coefficients of k_hexyne=1.5×10^?10 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 and k_octyne=2.8×10^?10 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, respectively, at 298 K. The reaction of both PyrOO^.+ and AnOO^.+ proceeds by radical addition to the alkyne, whereas propargylic hydrogen abstraction was observed as a very minor pathway only in the reactions involving PyrOO^.+. A major reaction pathway of the vinyl radicals 11 formed upon PyrOO^.+ addition to the alkynes involves γ‐fragmentation of the peroxy O? O bond and formation of PyrO^.+. The PyrO^.+ is rapidly trapped by intermolecular hydrogen abstraction, presumably from a propargylic methylene group in the alkyne. The reaction of the less electrophilic AnOO^.+ with alkynes is considerably slower and resulted in formation of AnO^.+ as the only charged product. These findings suggest that electrophilic aromatic peroxyl radicals act as oxygen atom donors, which can be used to generate α‐oxo carbenes 13 (or isomeric species) from alkynes in a single step. Besides γ‐fragmentation, a number of competing unimolecular dissociative reactions also occur in vinyl radicals 11 . The potential energy diagrams of these reactions were explored with density functional theory and ab initio methods, which enabled identification of the chemical structures of the most important products.     

Absolute rate constants for the addition of hydroxymethyl radicals to alkenes in methanol solution

Absolute rate constants and their temperature dependencies were determined for the addition of hydroxymethyl radicals (CH₂OH) to 20 mono- or 1,1-disubstituted alkenes (CH₂ = CXY) in methanol by time-resolved electron spin resonance spectroscopy. With the alkene substituents the rate constants at 298 K (k₂₉₈) vary from 180 M^?1s^?1 (ethyl vinylether) to 2.1 middot; 10⁶ M^?1s^?1 (acrolein). The frequency factors obey log A/M^?1s^?1 = 8.1 ± 0.1, whereas the activation energies (E_a) range from 11.6 kJ/mol (methacrylonitrile) to 35.7 kJ/mol (ethyl vinylether). As shown by good correlations with the alkene electron affinities (EA), log k₂₉₈/M^?1s^?1 = 5.57 + 1.53 · EA/eV (R² = 0.820) and E_a = 15.86 ? 7.38 · EA/eV (R² = 0.773), hydroxymethyl is a nucleophilic radical, and its addition rates are strongly influenced by polar effects. No apparent correlation was found between E_a or log k₂₉₈ with the overall reaction enthalpy. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the mechanism of reaction of tert-butoxyl radicals with dialkylphosphites

It has been shown by ESR spectroscopy that the title reaction involves abstraction of hydrogen from the phosphite, since at ?10°C the reaction has a kinetic deuterium isotope effect, k_H/k_D, or ～3. The rate constant for hydrogen abstraction is c. 2 × 10⁴ M^?1 s^?1. There is no significant addition of alkoxyl radicals to the phosphite.     

Absolute rate constants for the reactions between amino and alkyl radicals at 298 K

The absolute rate constants for the reactions of NH₂ radicals with ethyl, isopropyl, and t-butyl radicals have been measured at 298 K, using a flash photolysis–laser resonance absorption method. Radicals were generated by flashing ammonia in the presence of an olefin. A new measurement of the NH₂ extinction coefficient and oscillator strength at 597.73 nm was performed. The decay curves were simulated by adjusting the rate constants of both the reaction of NH₂ with the alkyl radical and the mutual interactions of alkyl radicals. The results are k(NH₂ + alkyl) = 2.5 (±0.5), 2.0 (±0.4), and 2.5 (±0.5) × 10¹⁰ M^?1·s^?1 for ethyl, isopropyl, and t-butyl radicals, respectively. The best simulations were obtained when taking k(alkyl + alkyl) = 1.2, 0.6, and 0.65 × 10¹⁰M^?1·s^?1 for ethyl, isopropyl, and t-butyl radicals, respectively, in good agreement with literature values.     

Rate constants for the addition of the 2-hydroxy-2-propyl radical to alkenes in solution

Absolute rate constants for the addition of the 2-hydroxy-2-propyl radical to 18 substituted alkenes (CH₂ = CXY) were determined at (296 ± 1) K in 2-propanol by time-resolved electronspin-resonance spectroscopy. With alkene substitution the rate constants vary by more than 6 orders of magnitude. For 3,3-dimethyl-but-1-ene the temperature dependence is given by log k/M^?1 · s^?1 = 6.4 minus;; 19.1/Θ where Θ = 2.303 RT in kJ/mol^?1. As shown by a good correlation with the alkene electron affinities, log k₂₉₆/M^?1 · s^?1 = 6.46 + 1.71 · EA/eV (r = 0.930), 2-hydroxy-2-propyl is a very nucleophilic radical, and its addition rates are highly governed by polar effects. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Reaction of Sulfenic Acids with Peroxyl Radicals: Insights into the Radical‐Trapping Antioxidant Activity of Plant‐Derived Thiosulfinates

Sulfenic acids play a prominent role in biology as key participants in cellular signaling relating to redox homeostasis, in the formation of protein‐disulfide linkages, and as the central players in the fascinating organosulfur chemistry of the Allium species (e.g., garlic). Despite their relevance, direct measurements of their reaction kinetics have proven difficult owing to their high reactivity. Herein, we describe the results of hydrocarbon autoxidations inhibited by the persistent 9‐triptycenesulfenic acid, which yields a second order rate constant of 3.0×10⁶ M ^?1 s^?1 for its reaction with peroxyl radicals in PhCl at 30 °C. This rate constant drops 19‐fold in CH₃CN, and is subject to a significant primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect, k_H/k_D=6.1, supporting a formal H‐atom transfer (HAT) mechanism. Analogous autoxidations inhibited by the Allium‐derived (S)‐benzyl phenylmethanethiosulfinate and a corresponding deuterium‐labeled derivative unequivocally demonstrate the role of sulfenic acids in the radical‐trapping antioxidant activity of thiosulfinates, through the rate‐determining Cope elimination of phenylmethanesulfenic acid (k_H/k_D≈4.5) and its subsequent formal HAT reaction with peroxyl radicals (k_H/k_D≈3.5). The rate constant that we derived from these experiments for the reaction of phenylmethanesulfenic acid with peroxyl radicals was 2.8×10⁷ M ^?1 s^?1; a value 10‐fold larger than that we measured for the reaction of 9‐triptycenesulfenic acid with peroxyl radicals. We propose that whereas phenylmethanesulfenic acid can adopt the optimal syn geometry for a 5‐centre proton‐coupled electron‐transfer reaction with a peroxyl radical, the 9‐triptycenesulfenic is too sterically hindered, and undergoes the reaction instead through the less‐energetically favorable anti geometry, which is reminiscent of a conventional HAT.     

RADICAL PROCESSES IN LIPIDS. A LASER PHOTOLYSIS STUDY OF t-BUTOXY RADICAL REACTIVITY TOWARD FATTY ACIDS

Laser photolysis techniques have been used to measure the reactivity of t-butoxy radical (t-BuO) toward various fatty acids. Eight compounds varying both in number and in the configuration of olefinic bonds were examined. It has been found that the rate constant for hydrogen abstraction from these compounds by t-BuO may be related to the number of secondary, allylic, and doubly allylic hydrogens in each molecule by the equation: k_r= [0.072[H_sec] + 0.518[H_allylic] + 2.716[H_{doubly allylic}] x 10⁶M^-1 s^-1.     

Absolute rate constants for hydrogen abstraction from hydrocarbons by the trichloromethylperoxyl radical

Absolute rate constants have been measured for the reactions of trichloromethylperoxyl radicals with cyclohexane, cyclohexene, and hexamethylbenzene. The CCl₃O₂ radicals were produced by pulse radiolysis of air-saturated CCl₄ solutions containing various amounts of the hydrocarbons. The rate constants were determined by competition with the one-electron oxidation of metalloporphyrins, using the rate of formation of the metalloporphyrin radical cation absorption to monitor the reaction by kinetic spectrophotometry. The rate constants for hydrogen abstraction from cyclohexane, cyclohexene, and hexamethylbenzene were found to be 1 × 10³, 1.0 × 10⁵, and 7.5 × 10⁴ M^?1 s^?1, respectively.     

Hydroxyl radical reactions with halogenated ethanols in aqueous solution: Kinetics and thermochemistry

Laser flash photolysis combined with competition kinetics with SCN^? as the reference substance has been used to determine the rate constants of OH radicals with three fluorinated and three chlorinated ethanols in water as a function of temperature. The following Arrhenius expressions have been obtained for the reactions of OH radicals with (1) 2‐fluoroethanol, k₁(T) = (5.7 ± 0.8) × 10¹¹ exp((?2047 ± 1202)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (2) 2,2‐difluoroethanol, k₂(T) = (4.5 ± 0.5) × 10⁹ exp((?855 ± 796)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (3) 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol, k₃(T) = (2.0 ± 0.1) × 10¹¹ exp((?2400 ± 790)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (4) 2‐chloroethanol, k₄(T) = (3.0 ± 0.2) × 10¹⁰ exp((?1067 ± 440)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (5) 2, 2‐dichloroethanol, k₅(T) = (2.1 ± 0.2) × 10¹⁰ exp((?1179 ± 517)/T) M^?1 s^?1, and (6) 2,2,2‐trichloroethanol, k₆(T) = (1.6 ± 0.1) × 10¹⁰ exp((?1237 ± 550)/T) M^?1 s^?1. All experiments were carried out at temperatures between 288 and 328 K and at pH = 5.5–6.5. This set of compounds has been chosen for a detailed study because of their possible environmental impact as alternatives to chlorofluorocarbon and hydrogen‐containing chlorofluorocarbon compounds in the case of the fluorinated alcohols and due to the demonstrated toxicity when chlorinated alcohols are considered. The observed rate constants and derived activation energies of the reactions are correlated with the corresponding bond dissociation energy (BDE) and ionization potential (IP), where the BDEs and IPs of the chlorinated ethanols have been calculated using quantum mechanical calculations. The errors stated in this study are statistical errors for a confidence interval of 95%. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 174–188, 2008     

Kinetics of one-electron oxidation by the ClO radical

Pulse radiolysis studies were carried out to determine the rate constants for reactions of ClO radicals in aqueous solution. These radicals were produced by the reaction of OH with hypochlorite ions in N₂O saturated solutions. The rate constants for their reactions with several compounds were determined by following the build up of the product radical absorption and in several cases by competition kinetics. ClO was found to be a powerful oxidant which reacts very rapidly with phenoxide ions to form phenoxyl radicals and with dimethoxybenzenes to form the cation radicals (k = 7 × 10⁸ −2 × 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1). ClO also oxidizes ClO^-₂ and N^-₃ ions rapidly (9.4 × 10⁸ and 2.5 × 10⁸ M^-1 s^-1, respectively), but its reactions with formate and benzoate ions were too slow to measure. ClO does not oxidize carbonate but the CO^-₃ radical reacts with ClO^- slowly (k = 5.1 × 10⁵ M^-1 s^-1).     

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) scavenging reactions of o-vanillin: Pulse radiolysis and stopped flow studies

Reactions of peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite with o-vanillin (2-hydroxy 3-methoxy benzaldehyde), a positional isomer of the well-known dietary compound vanillin, were studied to understand the mechanisms of its free radical scavenging action. Trichloromethylperoxyl radicals (CCl₃O ₂ ^· ) were used as model peroxyl radicals and their reactions with o-vanillin were studied using nanosecond pulse radiolysis technique with absorption detection. The reaction produced a transient with a bimolecular rate constant of approx. 10⁵ M⁻¹s⁻¹, having absorption in the 400–500 nm region with a maximum at 450 nm. This spectrum looked significantly different from that of phenoxyl radicals of o-vanillin produced by the one-electron oxidation by azide radicals. The spectra and decay kinetics suggest that peroxyl radical reacts with o-vanillin mainly by forming a radical adduct. Peroxynitrite reactions with o-vanillin at pH 6.8 were studied using a stopped-flow spectrophotometer. o-Vanillin reacts with peroxynitrite with a bimolecular rate constant of 3 × 10³ M⁻¹s⁻¹. The reaction produced an intermediate having absorption in the wavelength region of 300–500 nm with a absorption maximum at 420 nm, that subsequently decayed in 20 s with a first-order decay constant of 0.09 s⁻¹. The studies indicate that o-vanillin is a very efficient scavenger of peroxynitrite, but not a very good scavenger of peroxyl radical. The reactions take place through the aldehyde and the phenolic OH group and are significantly different from other phenolic compounds.     

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.     

Reactivities of sulfur-centered radical toward polyisoprenes and polybutadienes studied by flash photolysis method

The kinetic behavior of the thiyl radical in the solution containing polyisoprenes and polybutadienes has been studied by the flash photolysis method. For benzothiazole-2-thiyl radical, the addition rate constants toward these polymers and the model compounds of the polymers were evaluated. The relative reverse rate constants and equilibrium constants were also estimated. The addition rate constants decrease with an increase in the degree of polymerization; the ratio of the addition rate constant for polyisoprene (3.1 × 10⁴ M^?1 s^?1 (in monomer unit); M_v = 674,000) to that for 2-methyl-2-butene (1.5 × 10⁵ M^?1 s^?1) is about 1/5. This indicates that the polymer chain effect appears in the free-radical addition reaction. The relative reverse rate constants for the polymers are also smaller than those for 2-methyl-2-butene, suggesting a kind of polymer effects; i.e., it can be presumed that the bonded-thiyl radicals migrate very rapidly to the neighboring double bonds in the polymer. Significant differences in the rate parameters were observed between polyisoprene and polybutadiene, between cis- and trans-polyisoprenes, and between 1,4- and 1,2-polybutadienes.     

Radical scavenging behavior of butylated hydroxytoluene against oxygenated free radicals in physiological environments: Insights from DFT calculations

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a synthetic antioxidant widely used as a preservative in foods containing fat, the petroleum industry, and pharmaceuticals. Herein, a systematic investigation of reaction mechanisms and kinetics of BHT initiated by HO^? and HOO^? radicals in physiological environments has been reported for the first time. The overall rate coefficients were determined according to the QM-ORSA (quantum mechanics-based test for overall free radical scavenging activity) procedure at the M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. The radical adduct formation has been found to be the decisive mechanism for HO^? scavenging in both polar and lipid media with k_overall = 1.39 × 10¹² and 1.13 × 10¹¹ M^–1 s^–1, respectively. While this mechanism has no contribution to HOO^? scavenging in physiological environments which mainly takes place via the hydrogen atom transfer mechanism (k_overall = 2.51 × 10⁵ and 1.70 × 10⁴ M^–1 s^–1 in water and lipid media, respectively). The obtained findings are consistent with the available experimental data, which validates the accuracy of the calculations.     

Liquid-phase autoxidation of organic compounds at elevated temperatures. Absolute rate constant for intermolecular hydrogen abstraction in hexadecane autoxidation at 120–190°C

The absolute rate constants for the intermolecular hydrogen abstraction reactions of secondary hydrogens by secondary alkylperoxy radicals in hexadecane autoxidation, k₃, have been determined in the temperature range of 120–190°C using the stirred flow reactor technique. Absolute rate constants determined in this study for hexadecane are in good agreement with those determined for other hydrocarbons in liquid phase, on a per hydrogen basis, at lower temperatures. Arrhenius parameters for k₃/H derived from this study are A = 10^8.6 M^?1 s^?1 and E_a = 16.0 kcal/mol. The values of these parameters provide experimental confirmation for previous estimates made from both lower temperature reactions in the liquid phase and higher temperature reactions in the gas phase. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mechanisms for the Breakdown of Halomethanes through Reactions with Ground‐State Cyano Radicals

One route to break down halomethanes is through reactions with radical species. The capability of the artificial force‐induced reaction algorithm to efficiently explore a large number of radical reaction pathways has been illustrated for reactions between haloalkanes (CX₃Y; X=H, F; Y=Cl, Br) and ground‐state (²Σ⁺) cyano radicals (CN). For CH₃Cl+CN, 71 stationary points in eight different pathways have been located and, in agreement with experiment, the highest rate constant (10⁸ s^?1 M ^?1 at 298 K) is obtained for hydrogen abstraction. For CH₃Br, the rate constants for hydrogen and halogen abstraction are similar (10⁹ s^?1 M ^?1), whereas replacing hydrogen with fluorine eliminates the hydrogen‐abstraction route and decreases the rate constants for halogen abstraction by 2–3 orders of magnitude. The detailed mapping of stationary points allows accurate calculations of product distributions, and the encouraging rate constants should motivate future studies with other radicals.     

Trapping of photogenerated group IV radicals by TEMPO: Potential new organometallic initiators for “living” free radical polymerization

A series of trialkyl and triaryl organometallic radicals from group IV generated by hydrogen abstraction by tert‐butoxyl radical from the parent hydrides have been examined using laser flash photolysis. The rate constants for the trapping of the metal‐centered radicals by the persistent radical TEMPO were measured and were found to be large and similar to those of the carbon‐centered radical systems, yet below the diffusion controlled limit. The metal‐centered radicals were found to be efficiently trapped by TEMPO and would appear to be candidates suitable for “living” free radical polymerization similar to carbon analogue stoichiometric initiators. The radical trapping rate constants for the trialkyl series (M = Si, Ge, Sn) were found to be 8.9 × 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (M = Si), 7.2 × 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (M = Ge), and 6.2 × 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (M = Sn), respectively. The triaryl (Ph₃M•) series gave slightly slower rates of 1.6 × 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (M = Si), 3.4 × 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (M = Ge), and 1.9 × 10⁷ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (M = Sn), respectively. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 238–244, 2000     

One-electron redox reactions of trifluoperazine in aqueous solutions

Absolute rate constants have been measured for the reactions of the primary and specific one-electron oxidant radicals with the protonated form of trifluoperazine (TFP). The primary radicals, e^- _aq and OH·, react with TFP at diffusion controlled rates. The transients thus produced have been characterized. Halogenated aliphatic peroxyl radicals oxidize TFP with rate constants between 10⁷ and 10⁸ dm³ mol^-1 s^-1, depending on the structure of the peroxyl radical. The reactivity of peroxyl radicals has been found to vary with Taft's inductive parameter. Oxidation of TFP at acidic pH has been studied using stopped-flow technique. The reaction between TFP radical cation and ascorbic acid has also been examined using pulse radiolysis technique. The results indicate that TFP radical cation is repaired by ascorbate. One-electron reduction potential of TFP · + /TFP at pH 3.5 has been calculated to be 0.964 V vs. NHE.     

SET and HAT/PCET acid-mediated oxidation processes in helical shaped fused bis-phenothiazines

Helical shaped fused bis-phenothiazines 1 – 9 have been prepared and their red-ox behaviour quantitatively studied. Helicene radical cations (Hel^.+) can be obtained either by UV-irradiation in the presence of PhCl or by chemical oxidation. The latter process is extremely sensitive to the presence of acids in the medium with molecular oxygen becoming a good single electron transfer (SET) oxidant. The reaction of hydroxy substituted helicenes 5 – 9 with peroxyl radicals (ROO^.) occurs with a ‘classical’ HAT process giving HelO^. radicals with kinetics depending upon the substitution pattern of the aromatic rings. In the presence of acetic acid, a fast medium-promoted proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process takes place with formation of HelO^. radicals possibly also via a helicene radical cation intermediate. Remarkably, also helicenes 1 – 4 , lacking phenoxyl groups, in the presence of acetic acid react with peroxyl radicals through a medium-promoted PCET mechanism with formation of the radical cations Hel^.+. Along with the synthesis, EPR studies of radicals and radical cations, BDE of Hel-OH group (BDE_OH), and kinetic constants (k_inh) of the reactions with ROO^. species of helicenes 1 – 9 have been measured and calculated to afford a complete rationalization of the redox behaviour of these appealing chiral compounds.