Hidden chemistry of substituted aniline radical cations in water: a mechanistic study

Absolute rate constants for hydroxyl radical, azide radical, and hydrated electron reactions with a sulfa drug 4,4'‐diamino diphenyl sulfone (dapsone) in water have been evaluated using electron pulse radiolysis technique. Absolute rate constants for hydroxyl radical and azide radical were determined as (8.4 ± 0.3) × 10⁹ and (5.6 ± 0.5) × 10⁹ M^?1 s^?1, respectively. The reduction of dapsone with the hydrated electron occurred with rate constant of (9.2 ± 0.1) × 10⁹ M^?1 s^?1. Hydroxyl radical reactions result in the synchronous formation of adduct as well as anilino radical. The interesting observation is that the yield of the anilino radical increases with increase in pH. Contrary to this, the yield of the adduct decreases with pH. We propose that hydroxyl radical adds predominantly to the aniline. In contrast, the reaction of azide radical with the dapsone suggests that the reaction occurs at the –NH₂ moiety of the aniline ring. The free radical electron transfer from dapsone to parent radical cation of non‐polar solvent also results in the formation of anilino radical only suggesting that the radical cation of dapsone has a short lifetime. The reaction of hydrated electrons with the dapsone suggests that the reaction occurs at different reaction site. The experimental results supported by theoretical calculations of this study provide fundamental mechanistic parameters that probably decide the fate of the radical cation of aniline derivatives. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for a possible role of 3‐hydroxyanthranilic acid as an antioxidant

The reactions of 3‐hydroxyanthranilic acid (3‐OHAA) with N₃^?, NO₂^?, NO^?, CCl₃O₂^? , and OH^? radicals were examined using a pulse radiolysis technique mainly at pH 7. The bimolecular electron transfer from secondary one‐electron oxidants results in the formation of anilino radical (λ_max ? 380 nm). The rate constant for the reaction of N₃^? radical with 3‐OHAA at pH 7 was found to be 6.3 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1. It was observed that the 3‐OHAA reacts with oxygen centered radicals. The repair rate constant for the electron transfer reaction from 3‐OHAA to guanosine radical and chlorpromazine cation radical was also examined using a pulse radiolysis technique. Kinetic studies indicate that 3‐OHAA may act as an antioxidant to repair free‐radical damage to above mentioned biologically important compounds. The rate constants of electron transfer from the 3‐OHAA to the guanosine and chlorpromazine radicals were determined. The one‐electron reduction potential for 3‐OHAA radical was found to be 0.53 ± 0.06 V versus NHE. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A quantum chemical study on the OH radical quenching by natural antioxidant fisetin

In this work, the antioxidant ability of fisetin was explored toward hydroxyl (?OH) radical in aqueous and lipid solution using density functional level of theory. Different reaction mechanisms have been studied: hydrogen atom transfer, single electron transfer followed by proton transfer, and radical adduct formation, and sequential proton loss electron transfer. Rate constants for all possible reaction sites have been calculated using conventional transition state theory in conjunction with the Collins‐Kimball theory. Branching ratios for the different channels of reaction are reported for the first time. Results show that the reactivity of fisetin toward hydroxyl (^?OH) radical takes place almost exclusively by radical adduct formation regardless of the polarity of the environment. Also, the single‐electron transfer process seems to be thermodynamically unfavorable in both media.     

The free radical scavenging activity of lespedezacoumestan toward ˙OH radical: A quantum chemical and computational kinetics study

The free radical activity of lespedezacoumestan was investigated toward hydroxyl (˙OH) radical in polar and nonpolar media using density functional theory. Four reaction mechanisms including radical adduct formation, hydrogen atom transfer, sequential single electron‐proton transfer (SET‐PT), and sequential proton loss electron transfer were considered. The rate constants and branching ratio for all possible sites of reaction were calculated and reported for the first time. According to the obtained results, lespedezacoumestan reacts faster with ˙OH radical in aqueous solution than in nonpolar media. Also, lespedezacoumestan is an excellent ˙OH radical scavenger regardless of the environment polarity.     

Pulse radiolysis studies of 2‐ and 3‐hydroxybenzyl alcohols: inhibition of dehydration of ·OH‐(hydroxybenzyl alcohols) adducts by H2PO4− ions

Reactions of ·OH/O ^.? radicals and H‐atoms as well as specific oxidants such as Cl₂^.? and N₃· radicals have been studied with 2‐ and 3‐hydroxybenzyl alcohols (2‐ and 3‐HBA) at various pH using pulse radiolysis technique. At pH 6.8, ·OH radicals were found to react quite fast with both the HBAs (k = 7.8 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1 with 2‐HBA and 2 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1 with 3‐HBA) mainly by adduct formation and to a minor extent by H‐abstraction from ? CH₂OH groups. ·OH‐(HBA) adduct were found to undergo decay to give phenoxyl type radicals in a pH dependent way and it was also very much dependent on buffer‐ion concentrations. It was seen that ·OH‐(2‐HBA) and ·OH‐(3‐HBA) adducts react with HPO₄^2? ions (k = 2.1 × 10⁷ and 2.8 × 10⁷ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1 at pH 6.8, respectively) giving the phenoxyl type radicals of HBAs. At the same time, this reaction is very much hindered in the presence of H₂PO ions indicating the role of phosphate ion concentration in determining the reaction pathway of ·OH adduct decay to final stable product. In the acidic region adducts were found to react with H⁺ ions. At pH 1, reaction of ·OH radicals with HBAs gave exclusively phenoxyl type radicals. Proportion of the reducing radicals formed by H‐abstraction pathway in ·OH/O ^.? reactions with HBAs was determined following electron transfer to methyl viologen. H‐atom abstraction is the major pathway in O ^.? reaction with HBAs compared to ·OH radical reaction. H‐atom reaction with 2‐ and 3‐HBA gave transient species which were found to transfer electron to methyl viologen quantitatively. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radical chemistry of glucosamine naphthalene acetic acid and naphthalene acetic acid: a pulse radiolysis study

Free radical‐induced oxidation reactions of glucosamine naphthalene acetic acid (GNaa) and naphthalene acetic acid (Naa) have been studied using pulse radiolysis. GNaa was synthesized by covalently attaching Naa on glucosamine. Hydroxyl adduct (from the reaction of hydroxyl radicals (^●OH) at the naphthalene ring) was identified as the major transient intermediate (suggesting that the ^●OH reaction is on the naphthalene ring) and is characterized by its absorption maxima of 340 and 400 nm. Both GNaa and Naa undergo similar reaction pattern. The bimolecular rate constants determined for the reactions are 4.8 × 10⁹ and 8.9 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1 for GNaa and Naa respectively. The mechanism of reaction of ^●OH with GNaa was further confirmed using steady‐state method. Radical cation of GNaa was detected as an intermediate during the reaction of sulfate radical (SO₄^●?) with GNaa (k₂ = 4.52 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1). This radical cation transforms to a ^●OH adduct at higher pH. The radical cation of GNaa is comparatively long lived, and a cyclic transition state by neighboring group participation accounts for its stability. The oxy radical anion (O^●?) reacts with GNaa (k₂ = 1.12 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1) mainly by one‐electron transfer mechanism. The reduction potential values of Naa and GNaa were determined using cyclic voltammetric technique, and these are 1.39 V versus NHE for Naa and 1.60 V versus NHE for GNaa. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nature of the transient species formed in the pulse radiolysis of 4‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol in aqueous solutions: observation of equilibrium in the reaction of OH‐adducts with HPO ions

Reactions of ^. OH/O ^.? radicals, H‐atoms as well as specific oxidants such as N and Cl radicals with 4‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol (4‐HBA) in aqueous solutions have been investigated at various pH values using the pulse radiolysis technique. At pH 6.8, ^. OH radicals were found to react with 4‐HBA (k = 6 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1) mainly by contributing to the phenyl moiety and to a minor extent by H‐abstraction from the ? CH₂OH group. ^. OH radical adduct species of 4‐HBA, i.e., ^. OH‐(4‐HBA) formed in the addition reaction were found to undergo dehydration to give phenoxyl radicals of 4‐HBA. Decay rate of the adduct species was found to vary with pH. At pH 6.8, decay was very much dependent on phosphate buffer ion concentrations. Formation rate of phenoxyl radicals was found to increase with phosphate buffer ion concentration and reached a plateau value of 1.6 × 10⁵ s^?1 at a concentration of 0.04 mol dm^?3 of each buffering ion. It was also seen that ^. OH‐(4‐HBA) adduct species react with HPO ions with a rate constant of 3.7 × 10⁷ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1 and there was no such reaction with H₂PO ions. However, the rate of reaction of ^. OH‐(4‐HBA) adduct species with HPO ions decreased on adding KH₂PO₄ to the solution containing a fixed concentration of Na₂HPO₄ which indicated an equilibrium in the H⁺ removal from ^. OH‐(4‐HBA) adduct species in the presence of phosphate ions. In the acidic region, the ^. OH‐(4‐HBA) adduct species were found to react with H⁺ ions with a rate constant of 2.5 × 10⁷ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1. At pH 1, in the reaction of ^. OH radicals with 4‐HBA (k = 8.8 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1), the spectrum of the transient species formed was similar to that of phenoxyl radicals formed in the reaction of Cl radicals with 4‐HBA at pH 1 (k = 2.3 × 10⁸ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1) showing that ^. OH radicals quantitatively bring about one electron oxidation of 4‐HBA. Reaction of ^. OH/O ^.? radicals with 4‐HBA by H‐abstraction mechanism at neutral and alkaline pH values gave reducing radicals and the proportion of the same was determined by following the extent of electron transfer to methyl viologen. H‐atom abstraction is the major pathway in the reaction of O ^.? radicals with 4‐HBA compared to the reaction of ^. OH radicals with 4‐HBA. At pH 1, transient species formed in the reactions of H‐atoms with 4‐HBA (k = 2.1 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1) were found to transfer electrons to methyl viologen quantitatively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dimer radical cation of 4‐thiouracil: a pulse radiolysis and theoretical study

Pulse radiolysis with optical absorption detection has been used to study the reactions of hydroxyl radical (OH^?) with 4‐thiouracil (4TU) in aqueous medium. The transient absorption spectrum for the reaction of OH^? with 4TU is characterized by λ_max 460 nm at pH 7. A second‐order rate constant k_(4TU+OH) of 1.7 × 10¹⁰ M^?1 s^?1 is determined via competition kinetics method. The transient is envisaged as a dimer radical cation [4TU]₂^?+, formed via the reaction of an initially formed radical cation [4TU]^?+ with another 4TU. The formation constant of [4TU]₂^?+ is 1.8 × 10⁴ M^?1. The reactions of dibromine radical ion (Br₂^??) at pH 7, dichlorine radical ion (Cl₂^??) at pH 1, and azide radical (N₃^?) at pH 7 with 4TU have also produced transient with λ_max 460 nm. Density functional theory (DFT) studies at BHandHLYP/6–311 + G(d,p) level in aqueous phase showed that [4TU]₂^?+ is characterized by a two‐centerthree electron (2c‐3e) [?S∴S?] bond. The interaction energy of [?S∴S?] bond in [4TU]₂^?+ is ?13.01 kcal mol^?1. The predicted λ_max 457 nm by using the time‐dependent DFT method for [4TU]₂^?+ is in agreement with experimental λ_max. Theoretical calculations also predicted that compared with [4TU]₂^?+, 4‐thiouridine dimer is more stable, whereas 4‐thiothymine dimer is less stable. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Proline as a charge stabilizing amino acid in peptide radical cations

Long distance electron transfer in proteins requires relay stations that can be transitorily oxidized or reduced. Although individual prolines cannot assume this function, because of their high ionization energy, it has been shown that polyprolines have the ability to transfer charges. In order to determine the role of the proline in the hole distribution and transport within a PheProPhe tripeptide, the radical cation of a model compound where the phenylalanines carry two or three methoxy groups, respectively, was generated by flash photolysis. Surprisingly, after equilibration, about two thirds of the holes were found to reside on the phen(OMe)₂ instead of the more easily oxidizable phen(OMe)₃ moiety. DFT calculations showed that, in most of the accessible conformations, the phen(OMe)₂^{? +}‐moiety profits more from stabilization by N‐ and/or O‐lone pairs of neighboring amide groups than the phen(OMe)₃^{? +} moiety can, which explains the apparently counterthermodynamic hole distribution. Similar calculations showed that, in several conformers of the natural PheProPhe radical cation, the unpaired electron is delocalized over two amide groups, by residing in a σ MO which links the N‐lone pair of the central proline unit with the O‐lone pair of a proximate amino acid, through hyperconjugation via the intervening C―C_α σ‐bond. The same pattern is found in a model compound, N‐acetylproline dimethylamide. It seems that prolines favor conformers which foster hyperconjugation of two amide groups, which lowers the ionization energy of peptides. One should thus consider such interacting amide groups as potential relay stations in the course of electron transfer in polyprolines. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

DFT study on abstraction reaction mechanism of oh radical with 2‐methoxyphenol

Reaction mechanism of 2‐methoxyphenol (2MP) (guaiacol) with OH radical has been performed using density functional theory methods BH&HLYP and MPW1K method with 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set. Single‐point energy calculations were done using CCSD(T)/6‐311++G(d,p). The theoretical results reveal that the hydrogen abstraction from methoxy group is found to be the dominant reaction channel with an energy barrier of 9.31 kcal/mol. Also, time‐dependent density functional theory calculations have been performed using BH&HLYP/6‐311++G(d,p) level of theory, and the results reveal that the reactions occur in ground state than the excited state. The results of reaction force profile indicate that structural rearrangements are most influential with high percentage than the relaxation process. The calculated theoretical rate constants (12.19 × 10^?11 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1) are in good agreement with the experimental rate constant. The atmospheric lifetime of 2‐methoxyphenol with respect to OH radicals is 2.27 hours, which implies that OH radical plays an important role in the degradation of 2MP. The Wiberg bond index of the abstraction reaction reveals that the bond order is concerted, partially synchronic. The reactant‐like transition state satisfies Hammond postulate, which eventually results in an exothermic reaction, and the product‐like transition state reveals in endothermic nature.     

Charge transfer reactions from tryptophan and tyrosine to sulfur‐centered dimer radical cation in aqueous –sulfuric acid medium: a pulse radiolysis study

Kinetics and mechanism of one‐electron oxidation of N‐acetyl methionine (NAM), tryptophan (TrpH), tyrosine (TyrOH), and phenylalanine (Phe) have been studied in 33% v/v H₂SO₄ solution. The solvent radical (SO₄^?¯) oxidized NAM, TrpH, TyrOH, and Phe to produce NAM₂^?+ (480 nm), TrpH^?+ (330, 580 nm), TyrO^? (350, 410 nm), and Phe(?H)^? (320 nm), with rate constants (10⁹ M^?1 s^?1) 0.6, 2.7, 3.9, 1.6, respectively. Time resolved radical transformation from NAM₂^?+ to TrpH^?+ and TyrO^? have been observed to occur with k(10⁸ M^?1 s^?1) = 3.60 and 0.35, respectively. However, NAM₂^?+ to Phe(?H)^? and TrpH^?+ to TyrO^? radical transformations have not been observed in this medium. The study shows the kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of some amino acids in strong acidic solutions. To the best of our knowledge, radical cations of amino acids and electron transfer reactions between them could be studied in strong acidic solutions for the first time. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Minimizing electron‐hole recombination in modified TiO2 photocatalysis: electron transfer to solution as rate‐limiting step in organic compounds degradation

4‐Stilbenecarboxaldehyde (4SCA) at pH 3 was added to TiO₂ anatase to form a new catalyst where the aldehyde carbonyl group reacts with the TiO₂‐OH to form the corresponding acetal (4SCA‐TiO₂). 4SCA‐TiO₂ significantly retards the electron recombination when it is illuminated with ultraviolet B light because of the formation of a stable radical anion·^?4SCA‐TiO₂ that we have detected spectroelectrochemically. The light excited electron on the catalysis is transferred relatively slow to solution. Therefore, the electron transfer to solution is the rate‐limiting step for water‐dissolved organic compound degradation when 4SCA‐TiO₂ is used as photocatalyst. For instance, degradation rate constants using naphthalene (Naph) and p‐nitrophenol (PNP) in an ample pH range support the proposal. Accordingly, rate constants are faster when the standard redox potential of the involved electron acceptor in the solution increases. In fact, this condition can be tuned to promote reactivity. The affinity between the organics being degraded and 4SCA‐TiO₂ also influences on the degradation rate constants.     

Alkane oxidation by the system ‘tert‐butyl hydroperoxide–[Mn2L2O3][PF6]2 (L = 1,4,7‐trimethyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane)–carboxylic acid’

The kinetics of cyclohexane (CyH) oxygenation with tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) in acetonitrile at 50 °C catalysed by a dinuclear manganese(IV) complex 1 containing 1,4,7‐trimethyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane and co‐catalysed by oxalic acid have been studied. It has been shown that an active form of the catalyst (mixed‐valent dimeric species ‘Mn^IIIMn^IV’) is generated only in the interaction between complex 1 and TBHP and oxalic acid in the presence of water. The formation of this active form is assumed to be due to the hydrolysis of the Mn? O? Mn bonds in starting compound 1 and reduction of one Mn^IV to Mn^III. A species which induces the CyH oxidation is radical tert‐BuO ^. generated by the decomposition of a monoperoxo derivative of the active form. The constants of the equilibrium formation and the decomposition of the intermediate adduct between TBHP and 1 have been measured: K = 7.4 mol^?1 dm³ and k = 8.4 × 10^?2 s^?1, respectively, at [H₂O] = 1.5 mol dm^?3 and [oxalic acid] = 10^?2 mol dm^?3. The constant ratio for reactions of the monomolecular decomposition of tert‐butoxy radical (tert‐BuO ^. → CH₃COCH₃ + CH) and its interaction with the CyH (tert‐BuO ^. + CyH → tert‐BuOH + Cy ^. ) was calculated: 0.26 mol dm^?3. One of the reasons why oxalic acid accelerates the oxidation is due to the formation of an adduct between oxalic acid and 1 (K ≈ 10³ mol^?1 dm³). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time‐resolved resonance Raman and density functional theory study of the photochemistry of 4‐benzoylpyridine in acetonitrile and 2‐propanol

A nanosecond time‐resolved resonance Raman (ns‐TR³) spectroscopic investigation of the intermolecular hydrogen‐abstraction reaction of the triplet state of 4‐benzoylpyridine (4‐BPy) in 2‐propanol solvent is reported. The TR³ results reveal a rapid hydrogen abstraction (<10 ns) by the 4‐BPy triplet state (nπ*) with the 2‐propanol solvent, leading to formation of a 4‐BPy ketyl radical and an associated dimethyl ketyl radical partner from the solvent. The recombination of these two radical species occurs with a time constant about 200 ns to produce a para‐N‐LAT (light absorbing transient). The structure, major spectral features, and identification of the ketyl radical and the para‐N‐LAT coupling complex have been determined and confirmed by comparison of the TR³ results with results from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A reaction pathway for the photolysis of 4‐BPy in 2‐propanol deduced from the TR³ results is also presented. The electron‐withdrawing effect of the heterocyclic nitrogen for 4‐BPy on the triplet state makes it have a significantly higher chemical reactivity for the hydrogen abstraction with 2‐propanol compared to the previously reported corresponding benzophenone triplet reaction under similar reaction conditions. In addition, the 4‐BPy ketyl radical reacts with the dimethyl ketyl radical to attach at the para‐N atom position of the pyridine ring to form a cross‐coupling product such as 2‐[4‐(hydroxy‐phenyl‐methylene)‐4h‐pyridin‐1‐yl]‐propan‐2‐ol instead of attacking at the para‐C atom position as was observed for the corresponding benzophenone reaction reported in an earlier study. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oxidation of substituted triazines by sulfate radical anion (SO) in aqueous medium: a laser flash photolysis and steady state radiolysis study

Laser flash photolysis has been used to determine the bimolecular rate constants and the spectral nature of the intermediates obtained by the reaction of sulfate radical anion (SO) with 1,3,5‐triazine (T), 2,4,6‐trimethoxy‐1,3,5‐triazine (TMT), 2,4‐dioxohexahydro‐1,3,5‐triazine (DHT), and 6‐chloro N‐ethyl N'‐(1‐methylethyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine‐2,4‐diamine (atrazine, AT). The rate constants determined were in the range 4.6 × 10⁷–3 × 10⁹ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1 at pH 6. The transient absorption spectra obtained from the reaction of SO with T, TMT, DHT and AT has an absorption maximum in the region 320–350 nm and was found to undergo second‐order decay. The intermediate species is assigned to N‐yl C(OH) radical of T (TOH^?), carbon centered neutral radical of TMT, an OH‐adduct of AT and an N‐centered radical in the case of DHT. The interpretations on the experimental results obtained from TMT are supported by DFT calculation using Gaussian 03. Steady state radiolysis technique has also been used to investigate the degradation of AT induced by SO. The degradation profile indicated that about 99% of AT has been decomposed after an absorbed gamma‐radiation dose of 7.5 kGy. The degradation yield of AT (expressed as G(‐AT)) was found to be 0.26 µ mol J^?1. The degradation reactions initiated by SO may thus be employed as a potential alternative for ^?OH‐induced degradation of triazines. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solvent effects on the intrinsic enhancement factors of the triplet exciplex generated by photoinduced electron transfer reaction between eosin Y and duroquinone

The spin dynamics of the duroquinone anion radical (DQ^?-) generated by photoinduced electron transfer reactions from triplet eosin Y (³EY^2-) to DQ have been studied by using transient absorption and pulsed EPR spectroscopy. Unusual net-absorptive electron spin polarization plus net-emissive polarization were observed, suggesting the production of the triplet exciplex or contact radical pair as the reaction intermediate. The kinetic parameters and intrinsic enhancement factors of the electron spin polarization were determined in various alcoholic solvents. The net-absorptive electron spin polarization was also observed in ethanol-water mixed solvents. The solvent effects on the radical yield are analysed on the basis of a stochastic Liouville equation established for the magnetic field effects on the radical yield. The zero-field splitting constants of the triplet exciplex are estimated from the solvent viscosity dependence of the enhancement factors due to spin-orbit coupling induced depopulation of the reaction intermediate.     

Gas‐phase oxidation of CH2 = C(CH3)CH2Cl initiated by OH radicals and Cl atoms: kinetics and fate of the alcoxy radical formed

Relative kinetics of the reactions of OH radicals and Cl atoms with 3‐chloro‐2‐methyl‐1‐propene has been studied for the first time at 298 K and 1 atm by GC‐FID. Rate coefficients are found to be (in cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1): k₁ (OH + CH₂ = C(CH₃)CH₂Cl) = (3.23 ± 0.35) × 10^?11, k₂ (Cl + CH₂ = C(CH₃)CH₂Cl) = (2.10 ± 0.78) × 10^?10 with uncertainties representing ± 2σ. Product identification under atmospheric conditions was performed by solid phase microextraction/GC‐MS for OH reaction. Chloropropanone was identified as the main degradation product in accordance with the decomposition of the 1,2‐hydroxy alcoxy radical formed. Additionally, reactivity trends and atmospheric implications are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using photoelectron spectroscopy for the investigation of substituent effects in N‐ and P‐centered radical cations

The information concerning the peculiarities of the intramolecular interactions in the radical cations which is currently available is very sketchy. In this work, a new approach to the investigation of the substituent effects in N‐ and P‐centered radical cations has been developed. It is based on a consideration of the core‐electron binding energies E and ionization potentials I of the 15 series of the neutral molecules measured by photoelectron spectroscopy. Properties E and I obey the linear free energy relationship. By using the correlation analysis, in radical cations the inductive, resonance, and polarizability effects were first established to be in operation. The polarizability effect is caused by the charge on the radical cation centers N^?+ and P^?+. The contribution of this effect ranges from 10 to 55%. In the radical cations containing the moieties with N^?+?X and P^?+?X bonds, the standard resonance constants σ_R and σ of the substituents X are of limited utility. An understanding of the substituent effects may give a better insight into the mechanisms of both: radical ions and heterolytic reactions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electron transfer reaction in the radiation chemistry of some biologically important disulphlde compounds

It is found that some biologically important organic disulphides behave in an unique way under gamma irradiation when they are added in small amounts to the well-known Fricke dosimetry solution. On irradiation, it is noted that addition of these organic solutes reduces the G(Fe⁺² → Fe⁺³) yield instead of the usual increase found in the case of most other organic compounds. It is argued that these compounds behave as sacrificial radiation protective agents. The observation has been explained on the basis of an electron transfer reaction between the disulphides and OH radical. The resulting radical cations of these compounds then dissociate into non-chain propagating species. An attempt has been made to correlate the protective ability of such compounds towards (Fe⁺² → Fe⁺³) system with their biological radiation Drotective abilities. The electron transfer mechanism also seems to operate into their radiation protective action towards biological systems.     

The attachment of amino fragment to purine: inner‐shell structures and spectra

The impact of the amino fragment (–NH₂) attachment on the inner‐shell structures and spectra of unsubstituted purine and the purine ring of adenine are studied. Density functional theory calculations, using the LB94/TZ2P//B3LYP/TZVP model, reveal significant site‐dependent electronic structural changes in the inner shell of the species. A condensed Fukui function indicates that all of the N and C sites, except for N₍₁₎ and C₍₅₎, demonstrate significant electrophilic reactivity (f^? > 0.5 in |e|) in the unsubstituted purine. Once the amino fragment binds to the C₍₆₎ position of purine to form adenine, the electrophilic reactivity of these N and C sites is greatly reduced. As expected, the C₍₆₎ position experiences substantial changes in energy and charge transfer, owing to the formation of the C—NH₂ bond in adenine. The present study reveals that the N1s spectra of adenine inherit the N1s spectra of the unsubstituted purine, whereas the C1s spectra experience significant changes although purine and adenine have geometrically similar carbon frames. The findings also indicate that the attachment of the NH₂ fragment to purine exhibits deeply rooted influences to the inner‐shell structures of DNA/RNA bases. The present study suggests that some fragment‐based methods may not be applicable to spectral analyses in the inner shell.