Hydroxide-promoted redox reactions in water of α-Phenyl-4-nitro-benzenemethanol, α-(p-Nitrophenyl)-4-pyridinemethanol,and α-(p-Nitrophenyl)-4-Pyridinemethanol N-Oxide steric inhibition of resonance

α-Phenyl-4-nitrobenzenemethanol ( 3 ) reacted with 1 M sodium hydroxide to yield 4, 4′-dibenzoyl-azoybenzene ( 5 ) (51%), 4-hydroxy-4′-benzoylazobenzene ( 6 ) and benzoic acid (12% each), and smaller amounts of 4-aminobenzophenone and 4-nitrobenzophenone. Both α-phenyl-2-nitrobenzenemethanol ( 9 ) and 3, 5-dimethyl-4-nitrobenzenemethanol ( 10a ) did not react with 1 M sodium hydroxide, presumably due to steric hindrance. α-(p-Nitrophenyl)-4-pyridinemethanol ( 14 ) and its N-oxide 11 with 1 M sodium hydroxide yielded 4,4′-diaroylazoxybenzenes 15a and 12a , respectively, 4,4′-diaroylazobenzenes 15b and 12b , respectively, as well as 4-hydroxy-4′-aroylazobenzenes 16 and 13 , respectively. The relative reaction rates were 11 > 14 > 3 . Studies with 11 showed that the nitro group is involved in the redox reaction in preference to the N-oxide group.