Spin trapping of the short-lived free radicals formed in γ-irradiated alcohols

Short-lived free radicals formed in γ-irradiated methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol have been detected by E.S.R. combined with spin trapping method using 2,4,6-tri-t-buthylnitrosobenzene (BNB) as a spin trap. The observed spectra could be identified clearly by the help of deuterated alcohols. The hydrogen spin adduct, which had not been clearly identified in earlier works, was observed together with alkoxy radicals and other radicals. It was revealed that a part of the hydrogen adduct could come from proton transfer to the anion radical of BNB, which was produced by electron capture during irradiation. From the change of ¹CH₂OH/CH₃O¹ ratio with that of added spin trap concentration one may conclude that the methoxy radical and hydrogen atom are primary radicals in radiolysis of liquid phase methanol. This conclusion is also supported by both the change of the ratio with irradiation temperature and the isotope effect on the spin adduct yields.     

ESR study of the structure and reactivity of spin-adducts of element- and metal-centered radicals with perfluorinated α-triketones

The addition of element-centered radicals to perfluorinated α-triketones (CF₃)₂CFCOCOCOC₂F₅ (1) and (CF₃)₂CFCOCOCO(CF₃)₂ (2) was studied by the ESR method. In the case of Si-centered radicals, α-siloxydiketomethyl radicals are formed, which are characterized by the highest delocalization of an unpaired electron. The dimerization of these radicals is characterized by a low value of the enthalpy of the radical—dimer equilibrium (2.7 kcal mol⁻¹). The Ge(C₆F₅)₃ and ·Mn(CO)₅ radicals are added to1 at the carbonyl group directly bound to the pentafluoroethyl substituent. The hindered rotation of the (CF₃)₂CF group was observed for the spin-adduct of ·Ge(C₆F₅)₃ with2. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 474–477, March, 1999.     

UV photolysis of α-cyclohexanedione in the gas phase

Ultraviolet absorption spectrum of α-cyclohexanedione (α-CHD) vapor in the wavelength range of 220-320 nm has been recorded in a 1 m long path gas cell at room temperature. With the aid of theoretical calculation, the band has been assigned to the S(2) ← S(0) transition of largely ππ* type. The absorption cross section at the band maximum (～258 nm) is nearly 3 orders of magnitude larger compared to that for the S(2) ← S(0) transition of a linear α-diketo prototype, 2,3-pentanedione. The photolysis was performed by exciting the sample vapor near this band maximum, using the 253.7 nm line of a mercury vapor lamp, and the products were analyzed by mass spectrometry as well as by infrared spectroscopy. The identified products are cyclopentanone, carbon monoxide, ketene, ethylene, and 4-pentenal. Geometry optimization at the CIS/6-311++G** level predicts that the carbonyl group is pyramidally distorted in the excited S(1) and S(2) states, but the α-CHD ring does not show dissociative character. Potential energy curves with respect to a ring rupture coordinate (C-C bond between two carbonyl groups) for S(0), S(1), S(2), T(1), T(2), and T(3) states have been generated by partially optimizing the ground state geometry at DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G** level and calculating the vertical transition energies to the excited states by TDDFT method. Our analysis reveals that the reactions can take place at higher vibrational levels of S(0) as well as T(1) states.     

μSr studies of free radicals in the gas phase

Muonium (Mu=₊+e^-) is the bound state of a positive muon and an electron. Since the positive muon has a mass about 1/9 of the proton, Mu can be regarded as an ultra light isotope of hydrogen with unusually large mass ratios (MuHDT=1/9123). The muon spin rotation technique (SR) relies on the facts that (1) the muon produced in pion decay, ^{+ +} + , is 100% spin polarized and (2) the positron from muon decay is emitted preferentially along the instantaneous muon spin direction at the time of the muon decay.In transverse field SR (TF-SR), the precession of the muon spin in muonium substituted radicals is directly observed by detecting decay positrons time differentially. From observed radical frequencies, the hyperfine coupling constants (A ) of C₂H₄Mu, C₂D₄Mu,¹³C₂H₄Mu, C₂F₄Mu, and C₂H₃FMu are determined. In the longitudinal field avoided level crossing (LF-ALC) technique, one observes the resonant loss of the muon spin polarization caused by the crossing of hyperfine levels at particular magnetic fields. The LF-ALC method together with the information onA obtained from TF-SR allows one to determine the magnitude and sign of the nuclear hyperfine constants at - and -positions. Results are compared with hydrogen substituted ethyl-radicals and isotope effects are discussed.     

Stabilizing influence of perfluoro-tert-butanol on α-keto radicals — the derivatives of perfluorinated α-diketones: quantum-chemical calculations of the formed complexes

Density functional theory calculations show that the heightened stability of α-keto radicals, the derivatives of perfluorinated α-diketones of general formula CF₃C(O)C(O)R^F (R^F = i-C₃F₇; t-C₄F₉), in perfluoro-tert-butanol can be caused by the H-bond-imposed formation of cation radicals of vicinal dienols.     

ESR study of reactivity of the complex (η2-C60)Os(CO)(PPh3)2(CNBut) toward free radicals

Addition of the ^·P(O)(OPrⁱ)₂, Me^·, Et^·, ^·Bu^t, and Cl₃C^· radicals to the (ν²-C₆₀)Os(CO)-(PPh₃)₂(CNBu^t) complex (1) was studied by ESR spectroscopy. The spectral parameters of the spin-adducts of these radicals with complex 1 were determined. The predominant direction of the attack by the ^·P(O)(OPrⁱ)₂, ^·Bu^t, and Cl₃C^· radicals are the cis-1 and cis-2 bonds of the fullerene molecule. The stability of the spin-adducts depends substantially on the nature of the added radical. The addition rate constants of the ^·P(O)(OPrⁱ)₂, ^·But, and Cl₃C^· radicals to complex 1 and the dimerization rate constants for these spin-adducts were determined. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 301–307, February, 2008.     

Solvent effects in the reactivity of phenylethyl hydroperoxide, II. Reactivity and β-scission of α-phenylethoxy radicals in the solutions of α-phenylethylhydroperoxide

Efficient cleavage of -phenylethoxy radicals (HRO^.) was observed in CH₃CN at 304 K. From measurements of the quantum yields of product formation, it was calculated that      

A study of alkyl radicals in the matrix of polycrystallinen-alkane γ-irradiated at 77 K

The composition of alkyl radicals (AR) formed by γ-radiolysis (T=77 K) of polycrystallinen-alkanes with different lengths of the carbon chain (C(5), C(7), C(10), C(11), and C(18)) and their polymeric analog (polyethylene) was estimated from the ESR spectra. The ESR spectra of the irradiatedn-alkanes are superpositions of the signals from the H₃CC^.HCH₂− and −CH₂C^.HCH₂− radicals, whose HFS constants with α and β protons as well as the equilibrium conformation are independent of the chain length of then-alkane molecule. A dependence of the concentration of the radicals on the chain length ofn-alkane was found. The absence of the −CH₂C^.H₂ radicals that may arise upon H atom elimination from the Me fragments of then-alkane molecules is most likely related to the transfer of excitation energy from the Me group to the neighboring methylene fragment and the transformation of the −CH₂C^.H₂ radicals into H₃CC^.HCH₂− radicals. With account for this, the concentrations of the AR formed were suggested to be proportional to the number of H atoms at the corresponding C atom. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1034–1037, June, 2000.     

Free radicals in photolysis of mixed phosphonium–iodonium ylides and in their reactions with acetylenes

UV irradiation of mixed phosphonium–iodonium ylide in CH₂Cl₂ leads to formation of free radicals with lifetimes of a few minutes detected by EPR. In mixtures of ylides with acetylenes, the structure of radicals changes, and their concentration and stability increase. In the presence of acetylenes, the radicals contain ylide and acetylene residues, and their EPR spectra have hyperfine coupling constants typical for ³¹P nuclei in C-radicals and for ¹H nuclei, depending on the acetylene structure. It has been demonstrated that the observed radical products are formed from short-lived primary radicals.     

Cyclisation of α-chiral aminyl radicals

α-Chiral aminyl radicals have been generated from sulfenamides of α-amino acid esters and α-phenylethylamine using Bu₃SnH. The aminyl radicals of α-amino acid esters undergo 5-exo-trig cyclisation reactions onto side chain alkenes to yield proline analogues with reasonable diastereoselectivity. Preliminary studies show urethanyl radicals generated from sulfenamides of alkenyl urethane derivatives of α-amino acid esters and α-phenylethylamine undergo 5-exo-rig cyclisations to providing a protocol for the radical amination of unactivated alkenes. The α-ester of the amino acid or the urethane groups impart electrophilic behaviour to the aminyl radicals and facilitates cyclisation onto alkenes.     

Structures of α-type ions formed in the 157 nm photodissociation of singly-charged peptide ions

One hundred fifty-seven nm photodissociation of singly-charged peptide ions induces the cleavage of alpha-carbon to carbonyl-carbon bonds along the backbone. a(n) + 1 radical ions are observed as the primary photolysis products of peptides with N-terminal arginines in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The radical elimination pathways undertaken by the a(n) + 1 radical ions to form more stable even-electron species are studied in hydrogen-deuterium (H/D) exchange experiments. Two types of a(n) ions along with d-type ions are observed as secondary elimination products. The relative abundance of each depends on the C-terminal residue of the radical fragment ion.     

A radiation-chemical and quantum-chemical study of ascorbic acid interaction with α-hydroxyethyl radicals

The effect of ascorbic acid and its analogue 5,6-O-isopropylidenyl-2,3-O-dimethylascorbic acid (I), which has been synthesized for the purpose and does not contain mobile hydrogen atoms, on the formation of the products of continuous radiolysis of deaerated ethanol and its aqueous solutions has been studied. The ionization potentials, the molecular orbital energies, the enthalpies of homolytic dissociation of C-H and O-H bonds, and the enthalpies of H atom addition to the C=O group of the test compounds have been calculated by ab initio methods. The array of the experimental and calculated theoretical data suggests that both ascorbic acid in the undissociated form and compound I can oxidize α-hydroxyethyl radicals, whereas the monoanion of ascorbic acid acts as a reducing agent in the reactions with these transient radicals. The reduction of α-hydroxyethyl radicals in aqueous solutions by the ascorbic acid monoanion can follow both the hydrogen transfer and electron transfer mechanisms.     

Pattern recognition methods in the study of thermal decomposition of α-amino acids

There are many examples in the literature of a strict relation between the pathways of decomposition of a drug substance and chemical structure of its molecule. For this reason, a study has now been performed on the relation between thermal decomposition of ??-amino acids and their chemical structure. To achieve this goal, a group of a dozen or so compounds was chosen at random, and the results obtained using the DTA, TG and DTG analyses of their thermal decomposition were interpreted by highly advanced multivariate methods, principal component analysis and cluster analysis. By this statistical analysis, the influence of specific functional groups on thermal decomposition of ??-amino acids was determined. It has been found that first two principal components explain together more than 75?% of variance, and in an exceptional case, about 90?%. The third stage of decomposition was that at which the thermoanalytical data were best correlated with chemical constitution of a compound. It has also been recognized that a better discrimination among the analysed compounds was obtained for the DTA data set. The results can be useful for identification of a relation between the pathway of degradation of a drug substance and chemical structure of its molecule, and for predicting chemical stability of the compounds studied.     

Where does the electron go? Electron distribution and reactivity of peptide cation radicals formed by electron transfer in the gas phase

We report the first detailed analysis at correlated levels of ab initio theory of experimentally studied peptide cations undergoing charge reduction by collisional electron transfer and competitive dissociations by loss of H atoms, ammonia, and N-C alpha bond cleavage in the gas phase. Doubly protonated Gly-Lys, (GK + 2H) (2+), and Lys-Lys, (KK + 2H) (2+), are each calculated to exist as two major conformers in the gas phase. Electron transfer to conformers with an extended lysine chain triggers highly exothermic dissociation by loss of ammonia from the Gly residue, which occurs from the ground ( X ) electronic state of the cation radical. Loss of Lys ammonium H atoms is predicted to occur from the first excited ( A ) state of the charge-reduced ions. The X and A states are nearly degenerate and show extensive delocalization of unpaired electron density over spatially remote groups. This delocalization indicates that the captured electron cannot be assigned to reduce a particular charged group in the peptide cation and that superposition of remote local Rydberg-like orbitals plays a critical role in affecting the cation-radical reactivity. Electron attachment to ion conformers with carboxyl-solvated Lys ammonium groups results in spontaneous isomerization by proton-coupled electron transfer to the carboxyl group forming dihydroxymethyl radical intermediates. This directs the peptide dissociation toward NC alpha bond cleavage that can proceed by multiple mechanisms involving reversible proton migrations in the reactants or ion-molecule complexes. The experimentally observed formations of Lys z (+*) fragments from (GK + 2H) (2+) and Lys c (+) fragments from (KK + 2H) (2+) correlate with the product thermochemistry but are independent of charge distribution in the transition states for NC alpha bond cleavage. This emphasizes the role of ion-molecule complexes in affecting the charge distribution between backbone fragments produced upon electron transfer or capture.     

Effect of flavonols on radiation-induced reactions with the participation of α-hydroxyl-containing organic radicals

The effects of flavonols and structurally related model compounds on the formation of the final radiolysis products of ethanol and aqueous ethylene glycol and 2-methoxyethanol solutions were studied. It was found that the test compounds actively interact with the -hydroxyl-containing radicals of parent substances by several mechanisms to change the direction of radiolytic processes. The applicability of flavonols to the inhibition of radiation-induced free-radical fragmentation of organic compounds was demonstrated for the first time. Mechanisms were proposed to explain the observed effects.__________Translated from Khimiya Vysokikh Energii, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2005, pp. 171–175.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Grintsevich, Shadyro.     

Overestimation of the stability of the π-delocalized versus the σ-localized configuration in radicals by current density functionals: the case of vinylacyl radicals

 Calculations with the density functional theory (DFT) method using the most popular functional, Becke's three parameter hybrid with the Lee, Yang and Parr correlation functional, predict the π-delocalized configuration of the vinylacyl radical, CH₂=CH—C(•)=O, to be more stable than the σ-localized configuration in contrast with ab initio unrestricted quadratic configuration interaction with single and double excitations calculations as previously found for the isoelectronic vinyl radical, Y-C(•)=CH₂, bearing π-type α substituents. Experimental evidence on the electronic configuration adopted by vinyl radicals is contrasting. In the present case comparison with experiment indicates firmly that the currently available density functionals overestimate the stability of π-delocalized versus σ-localized configurations in radicals since they favor the π configuration for the γ-methylvinylacyl radical, CH₃—CH=CH—C(•)=O, in contrast with unequivocal electron spin resonance data. This failure is mainly due to an incorrect estimate of dynamic correlation energy with DFT functionals. Received: 13 January 2000 / Accepted: 16 March 2000 / Published online: 21 June 2000     

Interaction of hydroxyaryl aldehydes with α-hydroxyethyl radicals

The effect of some hydroxylated aromatic aldehydes on the radiation-chemical transformations of deaerated ethanol during continuous radiolysis has been studied. The data obtained show that these compounds effectively inhibit radiation-induced processes involving α-hydroxyethyl radicals (α-HER). Benzaldehyde and its hydroxylated derivatives (II, III) predominantly oxidize, and compounds containing the cinnamic moiety, (IV–VI), add α-HER to a carbonyl group or -C=C bond.