Mechanisms of antioxidant action: Transformations involved in the antioxidant function of zinc dithiocarbamate: Part II

The initial transformation products from reactions of zinc dialkyl dithiocarbamates with hydroperoxides have been identified by spectrophotometric and kinetic methods. It is shown that reactions of the zinc complex with tertiary butyl hydroperoxide, unlike those of the corresponding nickel complexes, do not give rise to disulphide as the first transformation product. The initial product in the case of the zinc complex was found to be the zinc dialkyl dithiopercarbamate, ZnDMSO. The evidence presented rules out the involvement of the further oxygenated product, the zinc dialkyl dithiocarbomylsulphinate, ZnDMSO₂.