DFT calculations as a powerful tool for ESR spin trapping experiments

A combined electron spin resonance (ESR) and density functional theory study has been carried out to obtain deeper insight in the reaction mechanism of the photorearrangement of 3‐hydroxyindolic nitrones. Also, in this case, the combination of these techniques constitutes a powerful tool when discriminating between different reaction pathways. In particular, density functional theory calculations played an important role for unraveling the overlapping of signals coming from different species in the ESR spin trapping experiments. In the present study, the computed energies and the corresponding ESR parameters of each possible isomer hypothesized have been considered, taking also into account their different possibilities of intramolecular H‐bond formation. However, the results obtained indicate that the possibility of intramolecular H‐bonding did not play a determinant role in this case. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparing the catalytic efficiency of ring substituted 1-hydroxybenzotriazoles as laccase mediators

A series of ring substituted 1-hydroxybenzotriazoles (6-X-HBTs) have been tested as mediators in the laccase-promoted oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol, 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol, and the dimeric lignin model 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-phenoxyethanol. The effect of the aryl substituents on the yields of oxidation products is remarkable. The catalytic mediation efficiency increases as the electron releasing (ER) properties of the substituent increases up to a maximum value for 6-CH₃-HBT, which resulted a very efficient mediator. Both the oxidation of the 6-X-HBTs to the N-oxyl radicals (6-X-BTNO) by laccase and the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process from the benzylic C–H to the 6-X-BTNO contribute to the overall reactivity. The former process is favored by ER substituents that lower the mediator redox potentials. On the other hand, ER substituents decrease the 6-X-BTNO reactivity in the HAT process due to a decrease in the NO–H BDE value, as assessed in this study through a radical equilibration technique.     

The effect of molecular dynamics on basic parameters of cw-epr spectrum of pyridinium tetrafluoroborate single crystal

This paper presents an investigation of the phase transitions and molecular dynamics of radicals in pyridinium tetrafluoroborate single crystals by CW-EPR combined with the Computer Resolution Enhancement Method. We present the advantages following from the computer method for enhancement of resolution by the example of applying it in the analysis of complex CW-EPR spectra of organic radicals. The method enabled determination of basic parameters such as spectroscopic splitting factor, hyperfine coupling constants and widths of individual spectral lines in CW-EPR spectra of pyridinium tetrafluoroborate recorded in a wide range of temperatures. Phase transitions and changes in molecular dynamics of radicals may imply changes in their electronic structure, which may affect the above-mentioned parameters of CW-EPR spectra.     

Molecular modelling of some para-substituted aryl methyl telluride and diaryl telluride antioxidants

Quantum mechanical calculations using the 3-21G(d) basis-set were performed on some p-substituted diaryl tellurides and aryl methyl tellurides, and the corresponding cationic radicals of these compounds. Calculated relative radical stabilization energies (RSE:s) were shown to correlate with experimentally determined peak oxidation potentials (R=0.93) and ¹²⁵Te-NMR chemical shifts (R=0.91). A good correlation was also observed between the RSE:s and the Mulliken charge at the tellurium atoms (R=0.97). The results showed that Hartree–Fock calculations using the 3-21G(d) basis set was sufficiently accurate for estimating the impact of p-substituents in aryl tellurides on experimentally determined properties such as peak oxidation potentials and ¹²⁵Te-NMR chemical shifts.     

Injectors and Radicals in Products of Totally Permutable Groups

Abstract

Two subgroups H and K of a group G are said to be totally permutable if every subgroup of H permutes with every subgroup of K. In this paper the behaviour of radicals and injectors associated to Fitting classes in a product of pairwise totally permutable finite groups is studied.     

Synthesis, biology, and modeling of a C-4 carbonyl C,D-seco-taxoid

A C,D-seco-paclitaxel derivative 26 was prepared from taxine and tested for biological activity. Chemical reactivity of the seco-compounds proved to be substantially modified, with respects to taxoids. The corresponding C,D-seco-taxoid does not show tubulin stabilizing activity or cytotoxicity. Explanation of these observations based on molecular modeling is provided.     

A radical cyclization route to cyclic imines

A novel route to cyclic imines based on 5-exo radical cyclization is explored. The radical precursors are imines prepared from allylamine and readily available α-phenylselenenyl ketones.     

Optical Study of Radicals (OH, O, H, N) in a Needle-plate Negative Pulsed Streamer Corona Discharge

Optical emission spectroscopy has been applied to study the OH radicals and O, H, and N active atoms produced by a high-voltage negative pulsed streamer corona discharge of N₂ and H₂O mixture gas in a needle-plate reactor at one atmosphere. The relative vibrational populations and the vibrational temperature of N₂(C, v′) were determined. The effects of pulsed peak voltage, pulsed repetition rate, and the addition of O₂ on the relative populations of OH(A²Σ) radicals, O(3p⁵P), H_α (3P), and N(3p⁴P) active atoms were investigated. It was found that the relative populations of those radicals increase with increasing pulsed peak voltage and pulsed repetition rate. The relative population of OH(A²Σ) radicals decreases with increasing O₂ flow rate, while the relative populations of O (3p⁵P), H_α (3P), and N (3p⁴P) active atoms exhibit a maximum over the studied range of the O₂ flow rate. The involved physicochemical processes have also been discussed.     

Radical cyclizations to quinolone and isoquinolone systems under oxidative and reductive conditions

Radical cyclizations to quinolone and isoquinolone systems under Fenton-type and n-Bu₃SnH-mediated conditions are described. For N-iodoalkylquinolones, ca. 3:1 mixtures of oxidative cyclization products at C-2, and unexpectedly at C-8, were obtained under both conditions. Five- or six-membered oxidative cyclization products were obtained from N-iodoalkylisoquinolones under Fenton-type conditions, whereas n-Bu₃SnH-mediated reactions gave products of reductive cyclization in the five, six, and seven-membered series.     

Mechanism of the temperature-dependent degradation of polyamide 66 films exposed to water

Experiments were performed to elucidate the degradation mechanism of hot-pressed polyamide 66 upon exposure to water. For films exposed to water over the temperature range 25 °C-90 °C, degradation was monitored using FTIR and solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopies. The data are consistent with a mechanism in which (1) a radical is formed on the methylene carbon adjacent to the amide nitrogen, (2) this radical reacts with oxygen to form a hydroperoxide, and (3) the hydroperoxide decomposes to form an imide or a hydroxylated amide, both of which may cleave leading to chain scission. Water appears to facilitate degradation by increasing the flexibility of the polymer matrix through swelling rather than acting as a reactive species, at least at the early stages of the process. An apparent activation energy of 15 ± 2 kJ/mol is observed for the early stages of degradation, suggesting that segmental motions in the polymer associated with water and oxygen sorption or inter-chain radical reactions are indeed key components of the degradation process.