Reactivity of C-H bonds in cyclohexanone and 1-tert-butylperoxycyclohexanol toward the tert-butylperoxyl radical

The kinetics of oxygen uptake and the composition of the cyclohexanone oxidation products in the azobisisobutyronitrile-initiated oxidation of cyclohexanone in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide have been investigated by the Howard-Ingold method. The partial rate constants of the reaction of the tert-butylperoxyl radical with the C-H bonds of cyclohexanol and 1-tert-butylperoxycyclohexanole at 333 K have been determined. The carbonyl group of cyclohexanone activates the C-H bonds in the 2- and 6-positions (α) and deactivates the C-H bonds in the 3- and 5-positions (β) compared to the C-H bonds in the 4-position (γ), whose reactivity is similar to that of the methylenic C-H bonds in cyclohexane. Evaluation of the joint effect of the hydroxyl and tert-butylperoxyl groups in 1-tert-butylperoxycyclohexanol suggests a considerable deactivation of the C-H bonds in the 2- and 6-positions (β) and, to a lesser extent, in the 3- and 5-positions (γ).