Hindered internal rotation of the CF3 group in the 2-trifluoromethylnitrobenzene radical anion in DMF:H2O mixtures

The temperature dependences of the EPR spectrum of the 2-trifluoromethylnitrobenzene radical anion in DMF:H₂O mixtures, caused by the dynamic modulation of the fluorine isotropic hyperfine interaction by the hindered internal rotation of the CF₃ group, have been measured and reconstructed numerically. The activation energy of rotation (E _F) and the dynamic mode depended on the water content in the mixture. For mixtures with a molar fraction of water χ = 0, 0.186, 0.315, 0.409, 0.534, 0.650, 0.810, and 0.910, E _F = 34.70 kJ/mol, 41.31 kJ/mol, 42.30 kJ/mol, 38.41 kJ/mol, 37.01 kJ/mol, 34.51 kJ/mol, 24.10 kJ/mol, and 21.78 kJ/mol, respectively. For χ = 0.186 in the temperature ranges accessible for measurements, the dynamic exchange is slow; for χ = 0.315, 0.409, 0.534, and 0.650, transitions from slow to intermediate and fast exchange take place; for χ = 0.810 and 0.910 in the temperature ranges under study T ∈ [252, 309]; [254, 297] (K), the exchange is fast. In the range 0.6 < χ < 0.9, E _F decreased drastically, and the activation energy of rotational diffusion (E _r) of the radical anion became maximum, which corresponds to the range of the compositions of DMF:H₂O with maximum deviations from the ideal state.