Chain antioxidants

J. Rohlena, L. Dong, S. Ralph, and J. Neuzil, Anticancer drugs targeting the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Antioxid. Redox. Signal, 15 (2011) 2951-74. 

Antioxidants markedly retard the rate of autoxidation throughout the useful life of the polymer. Chain-terminating antioxidants have a reactive —NH or —OH functional group and include compounds such as secondary aryl amines or hindered phenols. They function by transfer of hydrogen to free radicals, principally to peroxy radicals. Butylated hydroxytoluene is a widely used example. 

Long-chain esters of pentaerythritol have been prepared by a variety of methods. The tetranonanoate is made by treatment of methyl nonanoate [7289-51-2] and pentaerythritol at elevated temperatures using sodium phenoxide alone, or titanium tetrapropoxide in xylene (12). PhenoHc esters having good antioxidant activity have been synthesized by reaction of phenols or long-chain aUphatic acids and pentaerythritol or trimethyl olpropane (13). 

Tocotrienols differ from tocopherols by the presence of three isolated double bonds in the branched alkyl side chain. Oxidation of tocopherol leads to ring opening and the formation of tocoquinones that show an intense red color. This species is a significant contributor to color quaUty problems in oils that have been abused. Tocopherols function as natural antioxidants (qv). An important factor in their activity is their slow reaction rate with oxygen relative to combination with other free radicals (11). 

Oxidation begins with the breakdown of hydroperoxides and the formation of free radicals. These reactive peroxy radicals initiate a chain reaction that propagates the breakdown of hydroperoxides into aldehydes (qv), ketones (qv), alcohols, and hydrocarbons (qv). These breakdown products make an oxidized product organoleptically unacceptable. Antioxidants work by donating a hydrogen atom to the reactive peroxide radical, ending the chain reaction (17). 

Typically, soHd stabilizers utilize natural saturated fatty acid ligands with chain lengths of Cg—C g. Ziac stearate [557-05-1/, ziac neodecanoate [27253-29-8] calcium stearate [1592-23-0] barium stearate [6865-35-6] and cadmium laurate [2605-44-9] are some examples. To complete the package, the soHd products also contain other soHd additives such as polyols, antioxidants, and lubricants. Liquid stabilizers can make use of metal soaps of oleic acid, tall oil acids, 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid, octylphenol, and nonylphenol. Barium bis(nonylphenate) [41157-58-8] ziac 2-ethyIhexanoate [136-53-8], cadmium 2-ethyIhexanoate [2420-98-6], and overbased barium tallate [68855-79-8] are normally used ia the Hquid formulations along with solubilizers such as plasticizers, phosphites, and/or epoxidized oils. The majority of the Hquid barium—cadmium formulations rely on barium nonylphenate as the source of that metal. There are even some mixed metal stabilizers suppHed as pastes. The U.S. FDA approved calcium—zinc stabilizers are good examples because they contain a mixture of calcium stearate and ziac stearate suspended ia epoxidized soya oil. Table 4 shows examples of typical mixed metal stabilizers. 

Monofunctional, cyclohexylamine is used as a polyamide polymerization chain terminator to control polymer molecular weight. 3,3,5-Trimethylcyclohexylamines ate usehil fuel additives, corrosion inhibitors, and biocides (50). Dicyclohexylamine has direct uses as a solvent for cephalosporin antibiotic production, as a corrosion inhibitor, and as a fuel oil additive, in addition to serving as an organic intermediate. Cycloahphatic tertiary amines are used as urethane catalysts (72). Dimethylcyclohexylarnine (DMCHA) is marketed by Air Products as POLYCAT 8 for pour-in-place rigid insulating foam. Methyldicyclohexylamine is POLYCAT 12 used for flexible slabstock and molded foam. DM CHA is also sold as a fuel oil additive, which acts as an antioxidant. StericaHy hindered secondary cycloahphatic amines, specifically dicyclohexylamine, effectively catalyze polycarbonate polymerization (73). 

Eor antioxidant activity, the reaction of aminyl radicals with peroxy radicals is very beneficial. The nitroxyl radicals formed in this reaction are extremely effective oxidation inhibitors. Nitroxides function by trapping chain-propagating alkyl radicals to give hydroxylamine ethers. These ethers, in turn, quench chain propagating peroxy radicals and in the process regenerate the original nitroxides. The cycHc nature of this process accounts for the superlative antioxidant activity of nitroxides (see Antioxidants). Thus, antioxidant activity improves with an increase in stabiUty of the aminyl and nitroxyl radicals. Consequendy, commercial DPA antioxidants are alkylated in the ortho and para positions to prevent undesirable coupling reactions. 

Diarylamiaes fuactioa as mbber antioxidants by breaking the peroxidative chain reactions leading to mbber deterioration. Nearly all commercial synthetic mbbers (see Elastomers, synthetic), including neoprene, butyl, styrene—butadiene, and the acrylonitrile—butadiene mbbers, can be protected with about 1—2% of an alkylated diphenylamine. DPA itself is not used as a mbber antioxidant. An objectionable feature of these antioxidants is that they cause discoloration and staining which limits their use to applications where this is not important. 

Rubber Chemicals. Sodium nitrite is an important raw material in the manufacture of mbber processing chemicals. Accelerators, retarders, antioxidants (qv), and antiozonants (qv) are the types of compounds made using sodium nitrite. Accelerators, eg, thiuram [137-26-8J, greatly increase the rate of vulcaniza tion and lead to marked improvement in mbber quaUty. Retarders, on the other hand (eg, /V-nitrosodiphenylamine [156-10-5]) delay the onset of vulcanization but do not inhibit the subsequent process rate. Antioxidants and antiozonants, sometimes referred to as antidegradants, serve to slow the rate of oxidation by acting as chain stoppers, transfer agents, and peroxide decomposers. A commonly used antioxidant is A/,AT-disubstituted Nphenylenediamine which can employ sodium nitrite in its manufacture (see Rubber chemicals). 

Antiozonants (qv) prevent or reduce polymer degradation by the active ozone molecule. Some antioxidant compounds, such as the /)i7n7-phenylenediamines, are excellent as antiozonants (36). The protection by these compounds is thought to be either a reaction with the ozone before it can react with the surface of the mbber or an aid in reuniting chains severed by ozone (37). 

Hydrogen haHde addition to vinyl chloride in general yields the 1,1-adduct (50—52). The reactions of HCl and hydrogen iodide [10034-85-2], HI, with vinyl chloride proceed by an ionic mechanism, while the addition of hydrogen bromide [10035-10-6], HBr, involves a chain reaction in which a bromine atom [10097-32-2] is the chain carrier (52). In the absence of a transition-metal catalyst or antioxidants, HBr forms the 1,2-adduct with vinyl chloride (52). HF reacts with vinyl chloride in the presence of stannic chloride [7646-78-8], SnCl, to form 1,1-difluoroethane [75-37-6] (53). 

Radical Scavengers Hydrogen-donating antioxidants (AH), such as hindered phenols and secondary aromatic amines, inhibit oxidation by competing with the organic substrate (RH) for peroxy radicals. This shortens the kinetic chain length of the propagation reactions. 

Introducing long aliphatic chains into a stabilizer molecule decreases volatility and increases solubility in hydrocarbon polymers. This improves performance. However, it also increases the equivalent weight of the active moiety. Di- and polyphenoHc antioxidants combine relatively low equivalent... 

However, binding the antioxidant chemically to the elastomer chain by copolymeri2ation or grafting is a better solution to this problem. The addition of /V-(4-ani1ino-pheny1)methacrylamide [22325-96-8] (38) to a polymeri2ation recipe for NBR mbber produces a polymer with a built-in antioxidant resistant to extraction (23). 

Polyisobutylene has the chemical properties of a saturated hydrocarbon. The unsaturated end groups undergo reactions typical of a hindered olefin and are used, particularly in the case of low mol wt materials, as a route to modification eg, the introduction of amine groups to produce dispersants for lubricating oils. The in-chain unsaturation in butyl mbber is attacked by atmospheric ozone, and unless protected can lead to cracking of strained vulcanizates. Oxidative degradation, which leads to chain cleavage, is slow, and the polymers are protected by antioxidants (75). 

This combination of monomers is unique in that the two are very different chemically, and in thek character in a polymer. Polybutadiene homopolymer has a low glass-transition temperature, remaining mbbery as low as —85° C, and is a very nonpolar substance with Htde resistance to hydrocarbon fluids such as oil or gasoline. Polyacrylonitrile, on the other hand, has a glass temperature of about 110°C, and is very polar and resistant to hydrocarbon fluids (see Acrylonitrile polymers). As a result, copolymerization of the two monomers at different ratios provides a wide choice of combinations of properties. In addition to providing the mbbery nature to the copolymer, butadiene also provides residual unsaturation, both in the main chain in the case of 1,4, or in a side chain in the case of 1,2 polymerization. This residual unsaturation is useful as a cure site for vulcanization by sulfur or by peroxides, but is also a weak point for chemical attack, such as oxidation, especially at elevated temperatures. As a result, all commercial NBR products contain small amounts ( 0.5-2.5%) of antioxidant to protect the polymer during its manufacture, storage, and use. 

Chain-breaking antioxidants which interrupt the propagation cycle by reacting with the radicals R and R02, introducing new termination reactions. 

In the past the greatest attention has been paid to the chain-breaking antioxidants and oxidation retarders of general structure AH, which may function in the following ways. 

It will be noticed that with chain-breaking antioxidants the additive will be consumed whilst if we assume that the AO2H molecule will regenerate A radicals the oxidation retarder is not effectively consumed. The difference between the two is illustrated schematically in Figure 7.4. 

Table 7.3 Main types of chain-breaking antioxidants...

Phosphites Tris-(p-nonylphenyl) phosphite (X) No Widely used in conjunction with conventional stabilisers (q.v.) in PVC. Some types appear to be useful heat and light stabilisers in polyolefins. Function primarily as peroxide decomposers rather than chain-breaking antioxidants. 

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