Biradical trap

We have also examined the behavior of copolymers of o-tolyl vinyl ketone and methyl vinyl ketone (CoMT). In this case the light is absorbed exclusively at the aromatic carbonyl chromophore and the reaction proceeds from this site, while the methyl vinyl ketone moieties provide a relatively constant environment but prevent energy migration along the chain. The values of Tg and Tip in benzene have been included in Table II. These copolymers axe also soluble in some polar solvents for example, we have used a mixture of acetonitrile acetone methanol (30 30 Uo, referred to as AAM). This mixture is also a good solvent for the electron acceptor paraquat (PQ++) which has been shown to be good biradical trap in a number of other systems (9.). 

Experimental evidence of the involvement of a biradical intermediate in the decomposition of 3,3-dimethyl-l,2-dioxetane (10) has been obtained by radical trapping with 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD). Decomposition of 10 in neat CHD was shown to result in the formation of the expected 1,4-dioxy biradical trapping product, 2-methyl-1,2-propanediol (11) ° . However, more recently, it has been shown that the previously observed trapping product 11 was formed by induced decomposition of the dioxetane, initiated by the attack of the C—C double bond of the diene on the strained 0—0 bond of the cyclic peroxide (Scheme 9)"°. 

By trapping PX at liquid nitrogen temperature and transferring it to THF at —80° C, the nmr spectmm could be observed (9). It consists of two sharp peaks of equal area at chemical shifts of 5.10 and 6.49 ppm downfield from tetramethylsilane (TMS). The fact that any sharp peaks are observed at all attests to the absence of any significant concentration of unpaired electron spins, such as those that would be contributed by the biradical (11). Furthermore, the chemical shift of the ring protons, 6.49 ppm, is well upheld from the typical aromatic range and more characteristic of an oletinic proton. Thus the olefin stmcture (1) for PX is also supported by nmr. 

Dimer and trimer byproducts have been isolated from MMA polymerizations and these are suggestive of 1,4-diradical intermediates.323 28 Lingnau and Mcycrhoff523 found that rates of spontaneous polymerization of MMA were substantially higher in the presence of transfer agents (RH). They were able to isolate the compound (98) that might come from trapping of the biradical intermediate (Scheme 3.65). 

Scheme 30 represents the energy diagram for the photorearrangement shown in Scheme 29. Quenching of the triplet state of the sensitizer by the cis allyl phosphate, c/s-1, generates the triplet state, T , of the 1,2-biradical 2. The 1,2-biradical is trapped by the phosphorus atom to afford the triplet state, TP, of the spirophosphoranyl 1,3-biradical 3. Then, inter-system crossing generates the...

The photoadditions proceed through 1,4-diradical intermediates. Trapping experiments with hydrogen atom donors indicate that the initial bond formation can take place at either the a- or (3-carbon of the enone. The excited enone has its highest nucleophilic character at the (3-carbon. The initial bond formation occurs at the (3-carbon for electron-poor alkenes but at the a-carbon for electron-rich alkenes.191 Selectivity is low for alkenes without strong donor or acceptor substituents.192 The final product ratio also reflects the rate and efficiency of ring closure relative to fragmentation of the biradical.193... 

The photochemical reaction of azathymine derivative 556 with acetone afforded 557 (89MI2). The proposed reaction mechanism involved a biradical intermediate, which was trapped with a second mole of acetone. 

Although cyclic azoalkanes are well known as biradical precursors [159] they have been used as 1,2- and 1,3-radical cation precursors only recently [160-164]. Apart from the rearrangement products bicyclopentane 161 and cyclopentene 163, the PET-oxidation of bicyclic azoalkane 158 yields mostly unsaturated spirocyclic products [165]. Common sensitizers are triphenyl-pyrylium tetrafluoroborate and 9,10-dicyanoanthracene with biphenyl as a cosensitizer. The ethers 164 and 165 represent trapping products of the proposed 1,2-radical cation 162. Comparison of the PET chemistry of the azoalkane 158 and the corresponding bicyclopentane 161 additionally supports the notion that the non-rearranged diazenyl radical cation 159 is involved (Scheme 31). 

Thermolysis of benzoenyneallene (113) in cyclohexadiene at 75 °C produced the cycloaromatized adduct (116) in 22% yield. A biradical is believed to form through a cascade sequence involving an initial Myers cyclization. Trapping of the aryl radical centre in (114) with the tetrarylallenic moiety intramolecularly affords (115), having two triaryl radical centres. Hydrogen abstraction from cyclohexa-1,4-diene by (115)... 

The strain of cycloproparenes is the principal obstacle that must be overcome in their synthesis. Cycloproparenes decompose usually at moderate temperatures, and they undergo ring-opening in the presence of electrophilic or metallic reagents. In contrast, they support even strongly basic conditions quite well. Accordingly, most successful cycloproparene syntheses use some base-induced elimination in the last step. Alternatively, flash vacuum pyrolytic or photochemical extrusion of a neutral fragment, followed by biradical closure or flash vacuum pyrolysis may be used. In these latter approaches the reaction conditions are neutral, and reactive products may be trapped at low temperatures. 

Therefore, we proposed that, in oxygen-saturated solutions, biradical 57 was trapped with oxygen to form 63, which can undergo intramolecular lactonization... 

On the assumptions that the triplet TMB biradical 37 is the reactive intermediate and that its reaction with O2 occurs at the encounter-controlled rate, the authors estimated that the triplet is more stable than the singlet by at least 4-5 kcal/mol, or more if the diffusion-limited trapping rate assumed is actually lower. 

Scheme 16.7. From the observed trapping chemistry Washburn et al. concluded that the bicyclic intermediate 18 is formed instead of biradical 13. The question of whether 18 exists has been the subject of some controversy until recently.

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