Photo-stabilising action of metal chelate stabilisers in polypropylene—Part VI: Importance of singlet (1Δg) oxygen quenching and UV screening,and flash photolysis studies

The importance of singlet (¹Δ_g) oxygen quenching in the stabilisation mechanism of polypropylene by metal chelates has been investigated. Methylene blue was used as the sensitiser and 9,10-dimethyl anthracene was used as a singlet oxygen chemical trap. The results show that singlet oxygen quenching has no important rôle in the stabilising mechanism of metal chelates, in a polypropylene matrix.The importance of ultraviolet screening by the chelates as a stabilising mechanism is also considered. Various concentration levels, ranging from 0·001% to 1·0% w/w, were used. The results show that, as in the case of singlet oxygen quenching, ultraviolet screening is unimportant as an effective photo-stabilising mechanism.The photo-stability of four nickel chelates in both polar and non-polar solvents has been examined using conventional flash photolysis. It is found that their activity correlates with their ability to protect the polymer at concentrations below 0·2% w/w. The radicals formed during flash photolysis are tentatively assigned to be phenoxy radicals.     

REACTIVITY OF SINGLET OXYGEN TOWARD AMINO ACIDS AND PEPTIDES

Quenching of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) in D₂O-ethanol by the amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine, histidine, methionine, cysteine and their derivatives was measured by exciting the sensitizers rose bengal or meso-tetra (N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin tetratosylate in the presence of oxygen and the above quenchers in solution. In our polar solvent, containing 75% D₂O on a molar basis it was found that (1) substitution of the aromatic ring in indole, phenol and imidazole by the electron-donating methyl group increases the total (i.e. nonreactive and reactive) quenching rate constant by a factor of five to eight. Free or blocked amino and carboxyl groups removed by two methylene groups from the ring counteract the above increase in the rate constant. The reactive quenching of singlet oxygen, which leads to oxidative destruction of the aromatic ring, correlates with the above substitution effects. It has been proposed that the quenching process takes place by formation of an exciplex between ¹O₂ and the quencher. Thus our results indicate that the better an electron donor the amino acid residue is the more pronounced is the charge transfer contribution in the exciplex formed with ¹O₂ and the more likely it is to lead to charge separation and hence to a chemical reaction. (2) Oligopeptides in solution or peptide bonds linked to the amino acid residue have only a minor effect on singlet oxygen. It can therefore be expected that the polypeptide chains per se in the protein network will not interact significantly with the single oxygen molecules present. The quenching of the latter should, to a first approximation, depend only on the presence of the above reactive amino acid residues and to their accessibility to ¹O₂ as well as on the effective dielectric constant within the protein structure.     

Electron Transfer Quenching of the Rose Bengal Triplet State

Abstract— The potential for electron transfer quenching of rose bengal triplet (³RB^2-) to compete with energy transfer quenching by oxygen was evaluated. Rate constants for oxidative and reductive quenching were measured in buffered aqueous solution, acetonitrile and in small unilamellar liposomes using laser flash photolysis. Biologically relevant quenchers were used that varied widely in structure, reduction potential and charge. Radical ion yields (Ø_i) were measured by monitoring the absorption of the rose bengal semireduced (RB*^3-) and semioxidized (RB*^-) radicals. The results in solution were analyzed as a function of the free energy for electron transfer (δG) calculated using the Weller equation including electrostatic terms. Exothermic oxidative quenching was about 10-fold faster than exothermic reductive quenching in aqueous solution. The quenching rate constants decreased as δG approached zero in both aqueous and acetonitrile solution. Exceptions to these generalizations were observed that could be rationalized by specific steric or electrostatic effects or by a change in mechanism. The results suggest that electron transfer reactions with some potential quenchers in cells could compete with formation of singlet oxygen [O₂(¹δ_g)]. Values of Ø_i were generally greater for reductive quenching and, for oxidative quenching, greater in acetonitrile than in buffer. Electron transfer quenching of ³RB^2- in liposomes, below the phase transition temperature was slower than in solution for both lipid-soluble and water-soluble quenchers indicating that these reactions may not compete with formation of O₂(¹δ_g) during cell photosensitization.     

Singlet Oxygen-Mediated Inactivation of Acetylcholinesterase: A Comparison of Purified Enzyme in Solution and Enzyme Bound to K562 Leukemia Cells

Abstract— We have compared the singlet oxygen-mediated inactivation of acetylcholinesterase (ACE) in solution with the inactivation of ACE on the surface of K562 leukemia cells. In solution, the actions of the singlet-oxygen quenchers, methionine, azide, disodium [ N,N '-ethylene-bis(5-sulfosalicylideneinuninato)]nickelate(II) (Ni-chelate 1) and disodium [( N,N '-2,3-propionic acid)bis(5-sulfosal-icylideneimminato)]nickelate(II) (Ni-chelate 2) could be explained quantitatively by assuming their only mechanism of action was to quench singlet oxygen. The singlet oxygen quenchers, azide, Ni-chelate 1 and Ni-chelate 2, caused smaller inhibitions in the rate of singlet oxygenmediated inactivation of ACE on K562 cells than ACE in solution. The effects of these quenchers and of deuterium oxide were interpreted using a mathematical model of singlet-oxygen quenching and diffusion to estimate the lifetime of singlet oxygen near the cell surface. The azide quenching data and the deuterium-oxide data gave lifetimes of 0.9 ± 0.2 μs and 0.45 ± 0.15 μs, respectively. The increases in ACE inactivation lifetime caused by the nickel chelates were anomalously large. The unexpectedly large quenching due to the nickel chelates may have been due to a nonuniform distribution of the chelates in the cytoplasm with a large concentration of the chelate near the cell membrane.     

Solvent Isotope Effect on the Rate Constants of Singlet-Oxygen Quenching by edta and Its Metal Complexes

The reactivity of singlet oxygen (O₂(¹Δ_g)) with edta and its metal complexes with Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Mn²⁺ was investigated. The emission of singlet oxygen at 1270 nm in D₂O was measured in order to determine the quenching efficiency of edta and edta-metal complexes for different metal/edta ratios. The sum of the rate constant (k_r + k_q) of the chemical reaction between singlet oxygen and the acceptor (k_r) and of the physical quenching of singlet oxygen by the acceptor (k_q) was obtained by a Stern-Volmer analysis. Measurements of the oxygen consumption in H₂O were used to determine quantum yields of the sensitized photooxidation, and the combined results of these experiments allowed the determination of k_r and k_q separately. A strong isotope effect was observed between the deuterated and the hydrogenated solvents. This effect was shown to be independent of the analytical procedure used. The isotope effect, as well as the reactivity of edta and its metal complexes, depend markedly on the complexed metal ion.     

Mechanism of stabilization of polypropylene by ultraviolet absorbers

The ultraviolet screening properties of 2-hydroxyphenylbenzotriazoles and 2-hydroxybenzophenones in polypropylene film were investigated by using photochemical and spectroscopic techniques. The effect of light screening on polymer photostability was examined by using filter solutions, and the fraction of ultraviolet light absorbed by stabilized film was calculated and compared to flexural failure times. It was found that the 2-hydroxyphenylbenzotriazoles behave primarily as screeners of ultraviolet light whereas the 2-hydroxybenzophenones are both screeners and excited-state quenchers. The quenching characteristics of the latter have not been isolated and mechanistically examined, but it is probably similar in nature to that of the nickel chelate stabilizers.     

Unambiguous evidence for the participation of singlet oxygen ( 1 ) in photodynamic oxidation of amino acids

Abstract— A variety of experimental tests have been applied to the methylene-blue-sensitized photooxidation of amino acids to distinguish between singlet oxygen and non-singlet oxidation mechanisms. Conventional flash photolysis and laser photolysis were used to measure the rate constants for the quenching of excited triplet sensitizer and singlet oxygen by the amino acids histidine. tryptophan and methionine and the nucleotide guanosine-5′-monophosphate. In the case of histidine, the rate constants alone rule out an oxidation mechanism involving direct reaction with excited dye. With the other amino acids, and with guanosine monophosphate, the oxidation rates might be accounted for by either mechanism. The inhibition of the photo-oxidation of both tryptophan and methionine as well as histidine by the singlet-oxygen quenchers N₃^? and tetramethylethylene suggests that these reactions occur via a singlet-oxygen mechanism. A newly developed test of singlet oxygen reactions involving a comparison of photooxidation rates in normal and perdeuterated solvents has been used to establish that the photooxidation of tryptophan proceeds primarily by a singlet-oxygen mechanism. These experiments appear to constitute the first proof that singlet oxygen is involved in the photooxidation of the three amino acids tryptophan, methionine and histidine.     

Metal salts of 2-[(1-hydroxy-2-naphthalenyl)carbonyl]-benzoic acid as a new class of photostabilizers

Metal salts (Co²⁺, Mn^2?, Ni²⁺) of 2-[(1-hydroxy-2-naphthalenyl)carbonyl]-benzoic acid can be considered as a new class of stabilizers effective against free radical photo-oxidation and singlet oxygen oxidation of cis-1,4-polybutadiene. These metal salts are active by a combination of several important effects such as reducing the number of photons absorbed by polymer chromophores, deactivation of excited carbonyl groups, scavenging of free radicals and quenching of singlet oxygen.     

CHEMISTRY OF SINGLET OXYGEN—XXVI. PHOTOOXYGENATION OF PHENOLSy†

Abstract— The aerobic dye-sensitized photooxygenation of monohydric phenols proceeds by way of singlet oxygen under the conditions studied. Various phenols give different proportions of reaction with and quenching of singlet oxygen. Para-substituted 2,6-di-t-butylphenols show a linear correlation between the log of the total rate of singlet oxygen removal and their halfwave oxidation potentials; the same correlation is given for certain phenol methyl ethers. A Hammett plot using s?⁺ gives ρ - 1.72 ± 0.12, consistent with development of some charge in the quenching step. Reaction of photo-chemically generated singlet oxygen with 2,4,6-triphenylphenol gives 2,4,6-triphenylphenoxy radical as an intermediate in singlet oxygen quenching, although no overall reaction occurs. Kinetic analysis indicates that the radical is derived exclusively from the interaction of 2,4,6-triphenylphenol with singlet oxygen. A charge-transfer mechanism for quenching of singlet oxygen by phenols is proposed.     

THE REACTIVITY OF CITRONELLOL and α-THUJENE WITH SINGLET OXYGEN. RATE CONSTANTS OF CHEMICAL REACTION and PHYSICAL QUENCHING*

The quantum yields of Rose Bengal sensitized photooxidation of citronellol and α-thujene have been determined as a function of added acceptor and compared with those of furfuryl alcohol as a standard. The results permitted the calculation of the corresponding rate constants of chemical reaction (k_T) and physical quenching (K_q) of singlet oxygen. The sum (k_T+ k_q) has been verified independently by a Stern-Volmer analysis of the singlet oxygen luminescence quenching. α-Thujene reacts faster with singlet oxygen than citronellol, physical quenching being negligible in both cases.     

FREE ENERGY DEPENDENCE OF THE QUENCHING OF CHLOROPHYLL a FLUORESCENCE BY SUBSTITUTED QUINONES*

The quenching of chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence hy a series of substituted benzoquinones. naphthoquinones and anthraquinones has been examined employing ethanol and acetonitrile as solvents. All quinones are good quenchers of fluorescence. There is an excellent linear relation between the Stern-Volmer quenching constants, K, and the polarographic half wave potentials (E₁₂) of the quinones, with more oxidizing quinones being better quenchers. The quenching data are consistent with the excited state half wave potential of ?1.31 eV predicted theoretically, demonstrating that the kinetically estimated value of the Chl a excited state reduction potential agrees with that expected on spectroscopic grounds. The results of quenching are not in agreement with the conventional Marcus theory of electron-transfer reactions, as there is no evidence of quenching constant. K_q. decrease vsΔG⁰ even for free energy changes nearly twice that expected for the onset of the Marcus inverted region. However, the kinetically estimated K_q values are in good agreement with the ones calculated by using the Rehm and Weller equation for fluorescence quenching by electron transfer. Our experimental results support the electron transfer mechanism of quenching proposed by Seely.     

INVESTIGATIONS ON THE LIGHT-EMITTING SPECIES IN THE REACTION OF METMYOGLOBIN AND METHEMOGLOBIN WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

Abstract The formation of a compound I type ferryl complex in the reaction of methemoglobin (MetHb) and metmyoglobin (MetMyo) with hydrogen peroxide is accompanied by strong chemiluminescence. An approach to identify the nature of the light-emitting species was made by the use of quenchers and sensitizers reacting with singlet oxygen and compounds interfering in the formation and reactivity of other reactive oxygen species. Singlet oxygen is not the source of light emission. This could be concluded from the results obtained using the specific singlet oxygen trap 9,10-anthracenedipropionic acid (ADPA) in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The singlet oxygen adduct of ADPA was not formed in the incubation systems (MetHb or MetMyo/H₂O₂). Instead, ADPA was oxidized by the ferryl ion to a different oxidation product, which was characterized by HPLC and IR spectroscopy. In the case of MetHb-related chemiluminescence, light emission does not result from a single source. Both, SH-groups and O₂^.¯ radicals are involved because blocking of thiol-groups with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and scavenging of O₂^.¯(by superoxide dismutase) suppressed chemiluminescence by 50% and 30%, respectively. Development of MetMyo-related chemiluminescence is not dependent on thiol groups (which are not present in the globin moiety) and also 0₂^.¯is not involved. Although generation of chemiluminescence in MetHb and MetMyo seems to follow different mechanisms, both types of light-emitting species are sensitive to antioxidants, such as uric acid and ascorbate. The detection of the respective free radicals by means of ESR demonstrates that both MetHb- and MetMyo-mediated chemiluminescence is associated with a strong one-electron oxidizing species, which seems to be identical with the light-emitting source itself. Also desferal, which was originally used to exclude the involvement of a Fenton-type reaction, was readily oxidized to the nitroxide free radical associated with a strong decrease of chemiluminescence. This quenching effect was not dependent on iron complexation because the addition of iron was ineffective. In summary, chemiluminescence is not restricted to a single chemical process but is related to different one-electron transfer reactions from globin residues to the oxo-heme center.     

Studies on the photooxidation mechanism of polymers. I. Photolysis and photooxidation of polystyrene

A new mechanism has been proposed for the photooxidation of polystyrene as film and in benzene. The initial stage of the photooxidative degradation may involve reactions of singlet oxygen with polystyrene molecules. Singlet oxygen may be formed in the reaction between excited benzene ring in polystyrene molecule and molecular oxygen. The addition of singlet oxygen quenchers such as 1,3-cyclohexadiene or β-carotene reduces the rate of polymer degradation in benzene solution. The mechanisms of the photolysis of polystyrene as film and in benzene solution, in vacuo and in the presence of oxygen, are discussed and interpretations proposed. The pronounced yellowing of polystyrene during the photooxidation process is interpreted as a reaction involving benzene ring-opening photooxidation in polystyrene molecule. These results were obtained by comparing ultraviolet and infrared spectra in experiments of photooxidation of pure liquid benzene and polystyrene film.     

Oxidation of diazo compounds by triphenyl phosphite ozonide. Quenching of singlet oxygen by diazo compounds

The reaction of triphenyl phosphite ozonide with various types of diazo compounds results in their oxidation, which is accomplished by singlet oxygen (¹O₂) evolved during thermal decomposition of the ozonide. A decrease in the ionization potential of the substrate results in an increase in the overall rate constant of quenching of¹O₂. In the case of 9-diazofluorene, the main channel of¹O₂ quenching is physical quenching.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1567–1571, September, 1994.The work was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project No. 93-03-5231).     

Amino acid-pyrrole N-conjugates; a new class of antioxidants II. Effectiveness of singlet oxygen quenching by luminescence measurements

The pyrrole-amino acid and peptide N-conjugates synthesized from tyrosine, histidine and glutathione very effectively quench the 1270 nm singlet oxygen luminescence, at rates ranging from 10⁸ to 10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy suggests that the electron-donating properties of the methyl groups after 2,5-dimethyl substitution on the pyrrole ring are probably an important determinant of the reactivity of singlet oxygen with the N-conjugate of glutathione. However, intramolecular interactions between the pyrrole ring and the side chain may also modulate the reactivity of the antioxidant as suggested by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies carried out on tyrosine derivatives. Efficient fluorescence quenching of the phenol ring by the pyrrole ring occurs in the tyrosine derivatives. The reactivities of these antioxidants with ¹O₂ are comparable in methanol, ethanol and D₂O.     

Photosensitized Generation of Singlet Oxygen from (Substituted Bipyridine)ruthenium(II) Complexes

Photophysical properties in dilute MeCN solution are reported for seven Ru^II complexes containing two 2,2′‐bipyridine (bpy) ligands and different third ligands, six of which contain a variety of 4,4′‐carboxamide‐disubstituted 2,2′‐bipyridines, for one complex containing no 2,2′‐bipyridine, but 2 of these different ligands, for three multinuclear Ru^II complexes containing 2 or 4 [Ru(bpy)₂] moieties and also coordinated via 4,4′‐carboxamide‐disubstituted 2,2′‐bipyridine ligands, and for the complex [(Ru(bpy)₂(L)]²⁺ where L is N,N′‐([2,2′‐bipyridine]‐4,4′‐diyl)bis[3‐methoxypropanamide]. Absorption maxima are red‐shifted with respect to [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺, as are phosphorescence maxima which vary from 622 to 656 nm. The lifetimes of the lowest excited triplet metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer states ³MLCT in de‐aerated MeCN are equal to or longer than for [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ and vary considerably, i.e., from 0.86 to 1.71 μs. Rate constants k_q for quenching by O₂ of the ³MLCT states were measured and found to be well below diffusion‐controlled, ranging from 1.2 to 2.0⋅10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹. The efficiencies f of singlet‐oxygen formation during oxygen quenching of these ³MLCT states are relatively high, namely 0.53 – 0.89. The product of k_q and f gives the net rate constant k for quenching due to energy transfer to produce singlet oxygen, and k_q−k equals k, the net rate constant for quenching due to energy dissipation of the excited ³MLCT states without energy transfer. The quenching rate constants were both found to correlate with ΔG^CT, the free‐energy change for charge transfer from the excited Ru complex to oxygen, and the relative and absolute values of these rate constants are discussed.     

Kinetics and Yield of Singlet Oxygen Photosensitized by Hypericin in Organic and Biological Media

The spectroscopy and photophysics of the photosensitizer hypericin when in homogeneous solutions and when bound to liposomes were studied. Hypericin was found to partition efficiently into DMPC liposomes, with a binding constant of 58 (mg lipid/mL)^?1. In these liposomes the singlet oxygen production quantum yield was 0.43 ± 0.09. To determine the deactivation constant of singlet oxygen in lipid bilayers for the first time, we calculated extrapolated values from its quenching by DMPC and lecithin in homogeneous solutions and obtained decay times of 36.4 and 12.2 μs, respectively. We also measured the quenching of singlet oxygen, sensitized by hypericin in DMPC liposomes, by NaN₃, diphenyl isobenzofuran and H₂,O: D₂O mixtures and explained the results on the basis of singlet oxygen diffusing rapidly out of the lipid bilayer into the aqueous medium. The observed temperature effect on the lifetime of singlet oxygen of about 50% over a 15°C range in liposome suspension contrasts with a 3% change in a homogeneous solution in 1-nonanol and is explained by the temperature effect on the diffusion out of the liposome. A strong pH effect was observed, indicating that the deprotonated species formed above about pH 10 is a much weaker photosensitizer of singlet oxygen than the native, protonated species.     

Mechanism of the quenching of O2(1Δ g ) by erbium tetra(4-tert-butyl)phthalocyanine

The quenching of singlet molecular oxygen (¹O₂, ¹Δ _g ) by Er³⁺ tetra(4-tert-butyl)phthalocyanine in benzene was studied by the luminescence method. The quenching was demonstrated to be controlled by a physical-chemical mixed mechanism, with donor-acceptor interactions being the main contributor to the physical quenching of ¹O₂.     

IS SINGLET OXYGEN FORMATION DOMINANT IN TRIPLET QUENCHING PROCESSES? MEASUREMENT OF THE QUANTUM YIELD OF SINGLET OXYGEN FORMATION BY THE TIME-RESOLVED THERMAL LENS METHOD

The quantum yields of singlet oxygen formation (Ø_Δ) by the quenching of triplet states of organic sensitizers are measured at various concentrations of the sensitizers by using the time-resolved thermal lens method. Above a certain concentration, Ø_Δ is independent of the sensitizer concentration. Below the threshold, Ø_Δ gradually decreases as the concentration of the sensitizer decreases. The extrapolation of Ø_Δ to zero concentration indicates that singlet oxygen formation is not necessarily dominant in the quenching process even for the ³ππ* state in benzene.     

Quenching of singlet oxygen by hindered amine light stabilisers. A flash photolytic study

Rate constants for the quenching of singlet oxygen (¹O₂, ¹δ_g) for a series of piperidines, piperidine-N-oxyl free radicals and some commercially used hindered amine light stabilisers (HALS) have been measured by a laser flash photolysis method. Quenching rate constants are in the order: piperidine-N-oxyl free radicals ≤ secondary piperidines < tertiary piperidines. For some commercial HALS, ¹O₂ quenching rate constants and the light protective effect towards polypropylene photo-oxidation have been compared. No correlation has been found between the stabilizing action and the quenching efficiency towards ¹O₂. The data obtained point to little contribution of singlet oxygen to the key steps of polyolefin photo-oxidation.