Aliphatic Peroxides

The decomposition of aliphatic peroxides produces oxygen radicals too unstable for paramagnetic measurement. These radicals initiate the polymerization of olefins and give the complex mixtures of decomposition products associated with radical mechanisms. On the other hand, aliphatic peroxides are also capable of polar decomposition reactions, a subject to be taken up in Chapter VIII. The characteristic reactions of the less stable oxygen free radicals are /3-cleavage to form... 

Aliphatic peroxides were also resolved using the horseradish peroxidase (Figure 30 (b)-(d)).31bce (R)-Enantiomers were recognized enantioselectively to give the corresponding (W)-alcohols remaining (S)-peroxides. 

Although this method does not utilize mass spectrometry, the information is included here as background and for the sake of completeness. Aliphatic peroxides do not contain a strong chromophore and optical detection is facilitated by postcolumn derivatiza-tion. These methods have been applied to TATP detection by several researchers [46-49]. The derivatization methods make use of the weak, but dissociative, transitions associated with the peroxide bonds. Irradiation with 254 nm (low pressure mercury lamps) produces... 

Consequently traces of these unstable peroxides are present in samples of all the lower aliphatic ethers unless the samples have been freshly distilled. If these ethers when being distilled are heated on, for example, an electric heater, the final residue of peroxide may become sufficiently hot to explode violently. The use of a water-bath for heating, as described above, decreases considerably both the risk of the ether catching fire and of the peroxide exploding. 

Difficultly hydrolysable nitriles, such as o-tolunitrile, require 30 per cent hydrogen peroxide. For most nitriles, however, both aromatic and aliphatic, an equivalent amount of 6-12 per cent, hydrogen peroxide gives more satisfactory results the above procedure must, however, be modified, according to the solubility of the nitriles and amides. 

FLUORINECOMPOUNDS,ORGANIC - FLUORINATED ALIPHATIC COMPOUNDS] (Vol 11) Perfluoro-di-tert-butyl peroxide [2684285-3]... 

This ladical-geneiating reaction has been used in synthetic apphcations, eg, aioyloxylation of olefins and aromatics, oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes, etc (52,187). Only alkyl radicals, R-, are produced from aliphatic diacyl peroxides, since decarboxylation occurs during or very shortiy after oxygen—oxygen bond scission in the transition state (187,188,199). For example, diacetyl peroxide is well known as a source of methyl radicals (206). 

Specific biological activity of carboxylic acids peroxide derivatives in compaiison with their oxidation ability and ionization degree in aqueous solutions has been considered. Peroxyoctanoic, diperoxynonandioic and diperoxydecandioic acids give the most intense bactericidal effect among researched cai boxylic acids peroxide derivatives. The perspectives of use of the aliphatic middle-chain peracid C8-C9 as anti-infective agents have been discussed. 

Chemical tests for particular types of impurities, e.g. for peroxides in aliphatic ethers (with acidified KI), or for water in solvents (quantitatively by the Karl Fischer method, see Fieser and Fieser, Reagents for Organic Synthesis J. Wiley Sons, NY, Vol 1 pp. 353, 528, 1967, Library of Congress Catalog Card No 66-27894). 

Peroxides. These are formed by aerial oxidation or by autoxidation of a wide range of organic compounds, including diethyl ether, allyl ethyl ether, allyl phenyl ether, dibenzyl ether, benzyl butyl ether, n-butyl ether, iso-butyl ether, r-butyl ether, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, olefins, and aromatic and saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. They accumulate during distillation and can detonate violently on evaporation or distillation when their concentration becomes high. If peroxides are likely to be present materials should be tested for peroxides before distillation (for tests see entry under "Ethers", in Chapter 2). Also, distillation should be discontinued when at least one quarter of the residue is left in the distilling flask. 

As with the amine systems such systems still suffered the disadvantage that water was split out during cure. This led to the availability in the late 1970s of peroxide-curable materials containing a cure site of enhanced receptivity to attack by aliphatic radicals. These peroxide-cured elastomers are claimed to have superior resistance to steam, hot water and mineral acids than the earlier systems. 

Ethers — (R-O-R) are low on the scale of chemical reactivity. Aliphatic ethers are generally volatile, flammable liquids with low boiling points and low flashpoints. Well known hazardous ethers include diethyl ether, dimethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran. Beyond their flammability, ethers present an additional hazard they react with atmospheric oxygen in the presence of light to form organic peroxides. 

Because osmium tetroxide is expensive, and its vapors are toxic, alternate methods have been explored for effecting vic-glycol formation. In the aliphatic series, olefins can be hydroxylated with hydrogen peroxide with the use of only a catalytic amount of osmium tetroxide. Anhydrous conditions are not necessary 30% hydrogen peroxide in acetone or acetone-ether is satisfactory. The intermediate osmate ester is presumably cleaved by peroxide to the glycol with regeneration of osmium tetroxide. When this reaction was tried on a A -steroid, the product isolated was the 20-ketone ... 

Aromatic aldehydes and cyclic perfluoroketones are oxidized to a-hydroxy hydroperoxides or bis(a-hydroxy) peroxides, aliphatic ketones are converted to esters, and ketenes are converted to a-lactones... 

The addition of halogenated aliphatics to carbon-carbon double bonds is the most useful type of carbon-carbon bond forming synthetic method for highly halogenated substrates Numerous synthetic procedures have been developed for these types of reactions, particularly for the addition of perfluoroalkyl iodides to alkenes using thermal or photolytic initiators of free radical reactions such as organic peroxides and azo compounds [/]... 

It was found inadvisable to use more than four molecules of form-amide [ (47) when R = H] per molecule of anthranilic acid and the condensation produces best results when the mixture is heated at 120 -130°C for 2 hr followed by further heating at 170°-180 C for 2 hr. Other variants of this reaction involve the use of ammonium o-acylaminobenzoates, anthranilic acid in the presence of nitriles and acetic anhydride, o-acetamidonitrile with acetic anhydride or hydrogen peroxide, anthranilic esters and aliphatic or aromatic amides or amidines, isatoic anhydride with amides or amidines, and anthranilic esters with aryl iminochlorides in acetoned The mechanism proposed by Bogert and Gotthelf has had experimental supporR and is represented in Scheme 12. 

One of the most commonly encountered aliphatic diacyl peroxides (36, R=alkyl) is LPO. Lower diacyl peroxides (e.g. diacetyl peroxide) cannot be... 

In general, aliphatic diacyl peroxide initiators should be considered as sources of alkyl, rather than of aeyloxy radicals. With few exceptions, aliphatic acyloxy radicals have a transient existence at best. For certain diacyl peroxides (36) where R is a secondary or tertiary alkyl group there is controversy as to whether loss of carbon dioxide occurs in concert with 0-0 bond cleavage. Thus, ester end groups observed in polymers prepared with aliphatic diaeyl peroxides are unlikely to arise directly from initiation, but rather from transfer to initiator (see 3.3,2.1.4),... 

Diacyl peroxides may also undergo non-radical decomposition via the carboxy inversion process to form an acylcarbonate (Scheme 3.27).46 The reaction is of greatest importance for diaroyl peroxides with electron withdrawing substituents and for aliphatic diacyl peroxides (36) where R is secondary, tertiary or ben/,yl.157 The reaction is thought to involve ionic intermediates and is favored in polar solvents 57 and by Lewis acids.158 Other heterolytic pathways for peroxide decomposition have been described.150... 

Aliphatic acyloxy radicals undergo facile fragmentation with loss of carbon dioxide (Scheme 3,69) and, with few exceptions,428 do not have sufficient lifetime to enable direct reaction with monomers or other substrates. The rate constants for decarboxylation of aliphatic acyloxy radicals are in the range l 10xl09 M 1 s at 20 °C.429 lister end groups in polymers produced with aliphatic diacyl peroxides as initiators most likely arise by transfer to initiator (see 3.3.2.1,4). The chemistry of the carbon-centered radicals formed by (3-scission of acyloxy radicals is discussed above (see 3.4.1). 

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