Chain-breaking antioxidant activity of phosphite esters

The inhibition of the autoxidation of hydrocarbons and polypropylene by aliphatic, aromatic, sterically hindered and cyclic phosphites has been studied by means of volumetric and ³¹P-NMR techniques. The antioxidant activity of phosphites depends on the rate of their reactions with peroxyl radicals and on the way they react with alkoxyl radicals. Only those phosphites which react by substitution to give free aryloxyl radicals are effective as chain-breaking antioxidants.The reaction modes of various phosphites with various peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals have been studied in some model reactions and the relationship between structure, reaction mechanism and antioxidant activity has been elucidated.     

Thermochemical and kinetic studies of a bisphenol antioxidant

The results of a thermodynamic and kinetic investigation on the homolytic reactivity of 3,3'-di-tert-butyl-5,5'-dimethyl(1,1'-biphenyl)-2,2'-diol (1) are reported. EPR studies of the equilibration between 1, 2,4,6-trimethylphenol, and the corresponding radicals obtained by abstraction of a hydroxylic hydrogen allowed us to determine the OH bond dissociation energy (BDE) of investigated bisphenol as 83.10 kcal/mol. This value is considerably larger than that reported for the structurally related 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), i.e., 81.02 kcal/mol. Absolute rate constants for the reaction of 1 with alkyl, alkoxyl, and peroxyl radicals, at or nearly to room temperature, were also determined by competition kinetics in the first two cases and by autoxidation studies under controlled conditions in the last one. The experimental data indicate that this bisphenol is a moderately efficient antioxidant and polymerization inhibitor.     

Generation of N-tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone radical adducts in iron breakdown of tert-butyl-hydroperoxide

ESR spectroscopy coupled to the spin trapping technique was used to evaluate the generation of radical species arising from the ferrous ion induced decomposition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (’BuOOH) in methylene chloride. We report here that N-tert-butyl-α-phenylinitrone (PBN) can trap peroxyl radicals generated in the ferrous ion induced breakdown of high concentration of ’BuOOH (IM) at room temperature, the radical adduct being stable under the light. The peroxyl radical formation was demonstrated by direct ESR measurements at 77K. In contrast, alkoxyl and methyl radicals were trapped only in the presence of low hydroperoxide concentration (ImM). In order to measure the hyperfine splitting constants (hfsc) of the PBN-methyl adduct spectra were obtained in the presence of diphenylamine (DPA) or 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), which quenched the alkoxyl radical. For this latter radical, the hfsc were calculated by computer simulation. A mechanism for a direct interaction between DPA and the alkoxyl radical is presented. DPA quenched the peroxyl radical in the reaction of high hydroperoxide concentrations, with the concomitant generation of a DPA nitrogen-based radical.     

γ‐Irradiation of ultrahigh‐molecular‐weight polyethylene: Electron paramagnetic resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging studies of the mechanism of subsurface oxidation

The shelf aging of irradiated ultrahigh‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) causes subsurface oxidation, which leads to failure in UHMWPE orthopedic components, yet the mechanisms causing subsurface oxidation remain unclear. The shelf aging of γ‐irradiated UHMWPE bars has been studied with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging and with microtoming and Fourier transform infrared microscopy. The bars initially contained only allyl radicals, and upon air exposure, a surface layer of peroxyl radicals formed through the reaction of allyl radicals with oxygen. Importantly, a band of low radical intensity just beneath the peroxyl layer became apparent. NMR imaging showed a zone of altered proton relaxation in this zone. With increasing time, surface peroxyl radicals persisted in comparison with the interior allyl radicals, although oxygen did not appear to penetrate any more deeply into the bar. The area of maximal oxidation and mechanical disruption, measured after 3 years, was at the interface between the zone of exterior peroxyl radicals and the zone of low radical intensity. We present a mechanism involving the intermediacy of sterically strained reactive dialkyl peroxides at this interface to explain subsurface oxidation. We also demonstrate that EPR and NMR imaging provides information that could potentially be used to identify subsurface oxidized UHMWPE components before failure. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5929–5941, 2004     

Mechanism of the catalytic deperoxidation of tert-butylhydroperoxide with cobalt(II) acetylacetonate

The Co(II)/Co(III)-induced decomposition of hydroperoxides is an important reaction in many industrial processes and is referred to as deperoxidation. In the first step of the so-called Haber-Weiss cycle, alkoxyl radicals and Co(III)-OH species are generated upon the reaction of the Co(II) ion with ROOH. The catalytic cycle is closed upon the regeneration of the Co(II) ion through the reaction of the Co(III)-OH species with a second ROOH molecule, thus producing one equivalent of the peroxyl radicals. Herein, the deperoxidation of tert-butylhydroperoxide by dissolved cobalt(II) acetylacetonate is studied by using UV/Vis spectroscopy in situ with a noninteracting solvent, namely, cyclohexane. Kinetic information extracted from experiments, together with quantum-chemical calculations, led to new mechanistic hypotheses. Even under anaerobic conditions, the Haber-Weiss cycle initiates a radical-chain destruction of ROOH propagated by both alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals. This chain mechanism rationalizes the high deperoxidation rates, which are directly proportional to the cobalt concentration up to approximately 75 μM at 333 K. However, at higher cobalt concentrations, a remarkable decrease of the rate is observed. The hypothesis put forward herein is that this remarkable autoinhibition effect could be explained by the hitherto overlooked chain termination of two Co(III)--OH species. The direct competition between the first-order Haber-Weiss initiation and the second-order termination can indeed explain this peculiar kinetic behavior of this homogeneous deperoxidation system.     

The effect of ring nitrogen atoms on the homolytic reactivity of phenolic compounds: understanding the radical-scavenging ability of 5-pyrimidinols

Six substituted 5-pyrimidinols were synthesized, and the thermochemistry and kinetics of their reactions with free radicals were studied and compared to those of equivalently substituted phenols. To assess their potential as hydrogen-atom donors to free radicals, we measured their O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) using the radical equilibration electron paramagnetic resonance technique. This revealed that the O-H BDEs in 5-pyrimidinols are, on average, about 2.5 kcal mol(-1) higher than those in equivalently substituted phenols. The results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions, and confirm that substituent effects on the O-H BDE of 5-pyrimidinol are essentially the same as those on the Obond;H BDE in phenol. The kinetics of the reactions of these compounds with peroxyl radicals has been studied by their inhibition of the AIBN-initiated autoxidation of styrene, and with alkyl and alkoxyl radicals by competition kinetics. Despite their larger O-H BDEs, 5-pyrimidinols appear to transfer their phenolic hydrogen-atom to peroxyl radicals as quickly as equivalently substituted phenols, while their reactivity toward alkyl radicals far exceeds that of the corresponding phenols. We suggest that this rate enhancement, which is large in the case of alkyl radical reactions, small in the case of peroxyl radical reactions, and nonexistent in the case of alkoxyl radical reactions, is due to polar effects in the transition states of these atom-transfer reactions. This hypothesis is supported by additional experimental and theoretical results. Despite this higher reactivity of 5-pyrimidinols towards radicals compared to phenols, electrochemical measurements indicate that they are more stable to one-electron oxidation than equivalently substituted phenols. For example, the 5-pyrimidinol analogues of 2,4,6-trimethylphenol and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were found to have oxidation potentials approximately 400 mV higher than their phenolic counterparts, but reacted roughly one order of magnitude faster with alkyl radicals and at about the same rate with peroxyl radicals. The 5-pyrimidinol structure should, therefore, serve as a useful template for the rational design of novel air-stable radical scavengers and chain-breaking antioxidants that are more effective than phenols.     

EPR spin-trapping evidence for the direct,one-electron reduction of tert-butylhydroperoxide to the tert-butoxyl radical by copper(II): paradigm for a previously overlooked reaction in the initiation of lipid peroxidation

Lipid peroxidation is often initiated using Cu(II) ions. It is widely assumed that Cu(II) oxidizes preformed lipid hydroperoxides to peroxyl radicals, which propagate oxidation of the parent fatty acid via hydrogen atom abstraction. However, the oxidation of alkyl hydroperoxides by Cu(II) is thermodynamically unfavorable. An alternative means by which Cu(II) ions could initiate lipid peroxidation is by their one-electron reduction of lipid hydroperoxides to alkoxyl radicals, which would be accompanied by the generation of Cu(III). We have investigated by EPR spectroscopy, in conjunction with the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide, the reactions of various Cu(II) chelates with tert-butylhydroperoxide. Spectra contained signals from the tert-butoxyl, methyl, and methoxyl radical adducts. In many previous studies, the signal from the methoxyl adduct has been assigned incorrectly to the tert-butylperoxyl adduct, which is now known to be unstable, releasing the tert-butoxyl radical upon decomposition. This either is trapped by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide or undergoes beta-scission to the methyl radical, which either is trapped or reacts with molecular oxygen to give, ultimately, the methoxyl radical adduct. By using metal chelates that are known to be specific in either their oxidation or reduction of tert-butylhydroperoxide (the Cu(II) complex of bathocuproine disulfonic acid and the Fe(II) complex of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, respectively) for comparison, we have been able to deduce, from the relative concentrations of the three radical adducts, that the Cu(II) complexes tested each reduce tert-butylhydroperoxide directly to the tert-butoxyl radical. These findings suggest that a previously overlooked reaction, namely the direct reduction of preformed lipid hydroperoxides to alkoxyl radicals by Cu(II), may be responsible for the initiation of lipid peroxidation by Cu(II) ions.     

Reactions of halogenated hydroperoxides and peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals from isoflurane in aqueous solution

Model systems, based on aqueous solutions containing isoflurane (CHF(2)OCHClCF(3)) as an example, have been studied in the presence and absence of methionine (MetS) to evaluate reactive fates of halogenated hydroperoxides and peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals. Primary peroxyl radicals, CHF(2)OCH(OO*)CF(3), generated upon 1-e-reduction of isoflurane react quantitatively with MetS via an overall two-electron oxidation mechanism to the corresponding sulfoxide (MetSO). This reaction is accompanied by the formation of oxyl radicals CHF(2)OCH(O*)CF(3) that quantitatively rearrange by a 1,2-hydrogen shift to CHF(2)OC*(OH)CF(3). According to quantum-chemical calculations, this reaction is exothermic (DeltaH = -5.1 kcal/mol) in contrast to other potentially possible pathways. These rearranged CHF(2)OC*(OH)CF(3) radicals react further via either of two pathways: (i) direct addition of oxygen or (ii) deprotonation followed by fluoride elimination resulting in CHF(2)OC(O)CF(2)*. Route i yields the corresponding CHF(2)OC(OO*)(OH)CF(3) peroxyl radicals, which eliminate H+/O(2)*-. The resulting ester, CHF(2)OC(O)CF(3), hydrolyzes further, accounting for the formation of HF, trifluoroacetic acid, and formic acid with a contribution of 45% and 80% in air- and oxygen-saturated solutions, respectively. A competitive pathway (ii) involves the reactions of the secondary peroxyl radicals, CHF(2)OC(O)CF(2)OO*. The two more stable of the three above mentioned peroxyl radicals can be distinguished through their reaction with MetS. Although the primary CHF(2)OCH(OO*)CF(3) oxidizes MetS to MetSO in a 2-e step, the majority of the secondarily formed CHF(2)OC(O)CF(2)OO* reacts with MetS via a 1-e transfer mechanism, yielding CHF(2)OC(O)CF(2)OO-, which eventually suffers a total breakup into CHF(2)O- + CO(2) + CF(2)O. Quantum-chemical calculations show that this reaction is highly exothermic (DeltaH = -81 kcal/mol). In air-saturated solution this pathway accounts for about 35% of the overall isoflurane degradation. Minor products (10% each), namely, oxalic acid and carbon monoxide originate from oxyl radicals, CHF(2)OC(O)CF(2)O* and CHF(2)OCH(O*)CF(3). An isoflurane-derived hydroperoxide CHF(2)OCH(OOH)CF(3) in high yield was generated in radiolysis of air-saturated solutions containing isoflurane and formate either via a H-atom abstraction from formate by the isoflurane-derived peroxyl radicals or by their cross-termination reaction with superoxide O(2)*-. CHF(2)OCH(OOH)CF(3), is an unstable intermediate whose multistep hydrolysis is giving H(2)O(2) + 2HF + HC(O)OH + CF(3)CH(OH)(2). In the absence of MetS, about 55% of CHF(2)OCH(OO*)CF(3) undergo termination via the Russell mechanism and 27% are involved in cross-termination with superoxide (O(2)*-) and peroxyl radicals derived from t-BuOH (used to scavenge *OH radicals). The remaining 18% of the primary peroxyl radicals undergo termination via formation of alkoxyl radicals, CHF(2)OCH(O*)CF(3).     

Detection of radical intermediates in the photo-oxidation of alkanols by ceric ammonium nitrate-CAN. an EPR study

The photolysis of acetonitrile solutions of alkanols in the presence of ceric ammonium nitrate-CAN, at different temperatures, leads to the formation of alkyl, peroxyl and nitroxyl radicals identified by EPR spectroscopy. The involvement of free alkoxy and alkylperoxy radicals as intermediates in the reaction path will be discussed.     

Synthesis and antioxidant activity of [60]fullerene-BHT conjugates

Fullerene derivatives incorporating one or two 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl groups were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides to C(60). The O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of these compounds were estimated by studying, by means of EPR spectroscopy, the equilibration of each of these phenols and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) with the corresponding phenoxyl radicals. The antioxidant activity of the investigated phenols was also determined by measuring the rate constants for their reaction with peroxyl radicals in controlled autoxidation experiments and compared to that recorded under identical experimental settings for [60]fullerene itself and unlinked BHT. The results indicate that linking of the BHT structure to C(60) does not substantially alter the thermochemistry and kinetics of its reaction with peroxyl radicals, but such adducts may behave as interesting bimodal radical scavengers. The inherent rate constant for trapping of peroxyl radicals by C(60) per se (k(inh)=3.1+/-1.1 x 10(2) m(-1) s(-1)) indicates that, contrary to previous reports, [60]fullerene is an extremely weak chain-breaking antioxidant.     

Antioxidant action of organic sulfites—II. Esters of sulfurous acid as primary antioxidants

The effect of esters of sulfurous acid as primary antioxidants was examined. Different aliphatic, aromatic, open-chain and cyclic sulfites were synthesized. The reactions of organic sulfites with RO₂ and RO radicals, the chain carriers of the autoxidation of hydrocarbons and polymers, were simulated by means of the thermal decomposition of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) in the presence of oxygen and of di-tert-butylperoxalate (DTBPO). The reactivity of organic sulfites with 2-cyanoisopropylperoxyl radicals is low. Only aromatic sulfites are able to trap peroxyl radicals; however, they are not very effective primary antioxidants. The reactions of the organic sulfites with tert-butoxyl radicals generally lead to an increase in the rate of decomposition of DTBPO, as determined from rate constants measured at 50 °C. A decomposition of DTBPO induced by liberated tert-butyl radicals in the presence of alkyl sulfites is very probable. Alkyl sulfites and aromatic sulfites with aliphatic groups act mainly as hydrogen donors in reactions with alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals.     

The β-carotene dilemma: ESR study with coordinated peroxyl radicals

The apparently unpredictable behaviour of β-carotene in the supplementation of the diet of smokers is discussed in the light of the reactions of peroxyl radicals with β-carotene in the absence of oxygen. The decay of tert-butylperoxyl radicals in the presence of β-carotene was studied at ambient temperature in non-polar solvents by ESR spectroscopy. The primary reaction in the absence of oxygen is interpreted as a spin-trapping effect of a peroxyl radical by β-carotene producing an intermediate labile free radical, which disappears after recombination with a second tert-butylperoxyl radical. The result is the transformation of β-carotene to a diamagnetic compound with two peroxy bonds. In the presence of chelating transition metals with unpaired d-electrons as electron donors the peroxy group of the oxidized β-carotene can be split to alkoxyl free radicals. The primary attack of tert-butylperoxyl radicals is completely inhibited in the presence of vitamin E followed by production of free aryloxy radicals and the presence of oxygen has no significant effect on this reaction. Spin-trapping of peroxyl radicals by the double bond of vitamin A leads to its oxidation in the absence of vitamin E. Transition metal ions such as Co, Cr, Fe, and Mn, known to be present in the aerosol of cigarette smoke, homolyse the peroxyl bonds of peroxidised β-carotene, which results in cell damage.     

Reactions of 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) dianion, ABTS2-, with *OH, (SCN)2*-, and glycine or valine peroxyl radicals

ABTS2-, 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) dianion, was used as a reference to compare the reactivity of peroxyl radicals of two amino acids, glycine and valine, in aqueous solutions at natural pH. Peroxyl radicals were produced by pulse radiolysis and the product of their reaction with ABTS2- the ABTS*- radical was observed spectrophotometrically. Experimental kinetic traces were fitted using chemical simulation. The rate constants of reactions of glycine and valine peroxyl radicals with ABTS2- were (6.0+/-0.2)x10(6) and (1.3+/-0.1)x10(5) M-1.s-1, respectively. Moreover, it was found that only 60% of glycine radicals formed upon its reaction with *OH radicals reacted with molecular oxygen to yield peroxyl radicals. Comparison of experimental data with simulations of chemical reactions in irradiated ABTS and ABTS/NaSCN solutions showed that ABTS*- forms in the reaction with *OH with a yield of 43% and rate constant of (5.4+/-0.2)x10(9) M-1.s-1 and in the reaction with (SCN)2*- with a yield of 57% and rate constant of (8.0+/-0.2)x10(8) M-1.s-1.     

A DNA oligonucleotide-hemin complex cleaves t-butyl hydroperoxide through a homolytic mechanism

Both electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electronic absorption spectroscopy have been employed to investigate the reaction of a guanine-rich DNA nucleotide-hemin complex (PS2.M-hemin complex) and organic peroxide (t-Bu-OOH). Incubation of the PS2.M-hemin complex with t-Bu-OOH resulted in the time-dependent decrease in the heme Soret with concomitant changes to the visible bands of the electronic absorbance spectrum for the PS2.M-hemin complex. Parallel EPR studies using the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) combined with spectral simulation demonstrated the presence of tert-butyloxyl, carbon-centered methyl, and methyl peroxyl radicals as well as a simple nitroxide (triplet) signal. Experiments, performed by maintaining a constant ratio of t-Bu-OOH/PS2.M-hemin complex ( approximately 35 mol/mol) while varying DMPO concentration, indicated that the relative contributions of each radical adduct to the composite EPR spectrum were significantly influenced by the DMPO concentration. For example, at DMPO/PS2.M-hemin of 10-50 mol/mol, a complex mixture of radicals was consistently detected, whereas at high trapping efficiency (i.e., DMPO/PS2.M-hemin of approximately 250 mol/mol) the tert-butyloxyl-DMPO adduct was predominant. In contrast, at relatively low DMPO/PS2.M-hemin complex ratios of < or =5 mol/mol, a simple nitroxide three-line EPR signal was detected largely in the absence of all other radicals. Together, these data indicate that tert-butyloxyl radical is the primary radical likely formed from the homolytic cleavage of the O-O peroxy bond of t-Bu-OOH, while methyl and methyl peroxyl radicals result from beta-scission of the primary tert-butyloxyl radical product.     

Influence of cysteamine on the protection and repair of radiation-induced damage to DNA

Studies of the influence of cysteamine on damage to DNA by ionising radiation, using two methods of examination: EPR and gel-electrophoresis under air and oxygen-free conditions, and at cryogenic and ambient temperatures, enabled us to draw some conclusions as to the most probable reaction pathways in the complicated system of DNA/thiol/oxygen. The DNA-peroxyl radicals formed in the presence of oxygen seem to be effectively deactivated by cysteamine as they were not detected by EPR at higher thiol concentration. The peroxyl radicals, if formed, increase double strand breaks of DNA. The competitive reactions of oxygen/DNA and oxygen/thiol, and their non-linear dependence on the thiol concentration, observed previously, are confirmed by the results of electrophoresis.     

Organophosphorus antioxidants—VIII. Kinetics and mechanism of the reaction of organic phosphites with peroxyl radicals

Trialkyl phosphites react with cyanoisopropylperoxyl radicals, generated by thermolysis of azobis(isobutyronitrile) in the presence of oxygen, to give the corresponding phosphates with rate constants of the order of 10³ M⁻¹ sec⁻¹ at 65°C. Phenyl phosphites are oxidized also. A small amount of cyanoisopropyl phosphite is formed by substitution of the phosphite by alkyloxyl radicals leading to phenoxyl radicals. Sterically hindered aryl phosphites react with cyanoisopropylperoxyl radicals to yield the corresponding phosphates and alkoxyl radicals which in a second step react with phosphite by substitution releasing a sterically hindered phenoxyl radical. Therefore, sterically hindered phosphites are capable of acting as chain-terminating primary antioxidants. Because the rate constants of reaction of these phosphites with peroxyl radicals are only in the range of 10² M⁻¹ sec⁻¹ and 100 times smaller than those of phenols, phosphites should be less active as primary antioxidants than phenols.     

Alkyltelluro Substitution Improves the Radical‐Trapping Capacity of Aromatic Amines

The synthesis of a variety of aromatic amines carrying an ortho‐alkyltelluro group is described. The new antioxidants quenched lipidperoxyl radicals much more efficiently than α‐tocopherol and were regenerable by aqueous‐phase N‐acetylcysteine in a two‐phase peroxidation system. The inhibition time for diaryl amine 9 b was four‐fold longer than recorded with α‐tocopherol. Thiol consumption in the aqueous phase was found to correlate inversely to the inhibition time and the availability of thiol is the limiting factor for the duration of antioxidant protection. The proposed mechanism for quenching of peroxyl radicals involves O‐atom transfer from peroxyl to Te followed by H‐atom transfer from amine to alkoxyl radical in a solvent cage.     

Identification by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry of spin-trapped free radicals from oxidized 2-oleoyl-1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

GPC radical species formed during oxidation of a glycerophosphocholine (16:0/18:1) under the Fenton reaction conditions were detected using a spin trap, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrrolidine N-oxide (DMPO). The stable spin-trapped radical adducts were identified by mass spectrometry (MS) using electrospray (ES) as ionization method and characterized by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Radical adducts of oxidized free sn-2 fatty acid and of oxidized intact GPC, containing one, two and three additional oxygen atoms, were assigned. DMPO adducts of oxidized intact GPC were observed as singly and doubly charged ions in ES-MS, while adducts of oxidized free fatty acids were observed as singly charged ions. Oxidized free sn-2 fatty acids and intact GPC-DMPO adducts correspond to carbon- and oxygen-centered radicals that were identified by MS/MS as alkyl, hydroxy-alkyl, alkoxyl, hydroxy-alkoxyl, peroxyl and hydroperoxide-alkoxyl spin adducts. The DMPO molecule was attached predominantly at C(9) of the oleic chain. The fragmentation pathway of spin adducts with two DMPO molecules strongly suggests the presence of species that were simultaneously carbon- and oxygen-centered radicals. Several fragments identified are consistent with the presence of isomeric structures contributing to the same ions.     

Alkylation of Allyl/Alkenyl Sulfones by Deoxygenation of Alkoxyl Radicals

A challenging deoxygenation of alkoxyl radicals from readily accessible alcohol derivatives was developed, affording facile synthesis of functionalized alkenes with good functional group tolerance under mild reaction conditions. Because alkoxyl radicals can easily undergo β-fragmentations or hydrogen abstractions, this new strategy for deoxygenation of alkoxyl radicals is highly valuable. Moreover, mechanistic studies revealed that the electron-neutral phosphine acts as the deoxygenation reagent.     

Detection of peroxyl radicals from polluted air by free radical reaction combined with liquid chromatography signal amplification technique

Free radicals play an important role in the oxidizing power of polluted air, the development of aging‐related diseases, the formation of ozone, and the production of secondary particulate matter. The high variability of peroxyl radical concentration has prevented the detection of possible trends or distributions in the concentration of free radicals. We present a new method, free radical reaction combined with liquid chromatography photodiode array detection, for identifying and quantifying peroxyl radicals in polluted air. Functionalized graphene was used for loading peroxyl radicals and reactive molecules in air sampling system, which can facilitate reaction kinetics (charge transfers) between peroxyl radicals and reaction molecules. Separation was performed with and without a preliminary exposure of the polluted air sample to reactive molecule(s) system. The integral chromatographic peak areas before and after air sampling are used to quantify the atmospheric peroxyl radicals in polluted air. The utility of the new technique was tested with measurements carried out in the field.