Chain radical scavengers

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. 

Experiments in which radical scavengers are added indicate that a chain reaction is involved, because the reaction is greatly retarded in the presence of the scavengers. The mechanism shown below indicates that one of the steps in the chain process is an electron transfer and that none of the steps involves atom abstraction. The elimination of nitrite occurs as a unimolecular decomposition of the radical anion intermediate, and the SrnI mechanistic designation would apply. 

Kinetics of the reaction of p-nitrochlorobenzene with the sodium enolate of ethyl cyanoacetate are consistent with this mechanism. Also, radical scavengers have no effect on the reaction, contrary to what would be expected for a chain mechanism in which aryl radicals would need to encounter the enolate in a propagation step. The reactant, /i-nitrophenyl chloride, however, is one which might also react by the addition-elimination mechanism, and the postulated mechanism is essentially the stepwise electron-transfer version of this mechanism. The issue then becomes the question of whether the postulated radical pair is a distinct intermediate. 

It is clear that, having the same chain length, these macromolecules are in reality experimentally indistinguishable. One could however think of a labelling technique to make Nf different from Nj, for example by using a chromophore-bound radical scavenger which added selectively to the macroradicals issued from the chain scission. Equation (87) can be split into a system of two equations (100) and (101)... 

Related to this, radical scavengers did not affect product yield or distribution, therefore minimizing the importance of a radical chain process. 

This is called the SrnI mechanism," and many other examples are known (see 13-3, 13-4,13-6,13-12). The lUPAC designation is T+Dn+An." Note that the last step of the mechanism produces ArT radical ions, so the process is a chain mechanism (see p. 895)." An electron donor is required to initiate the reaction. In the case above it was solvated electrons from KNH2 in NH3. Evidence was that the addition of potassium metal (a good producer of solvated electrons in ammonia) completely suppressed the cine substitution. Further evidence for the SrnI mechanism was that addition of radical scavengers (which would suppress a free-radical mechanism) led to 8 9 ratios much closer to 1.46 1. Numerous other observations of SrnI mechanisms that were stimulated by solvated electrons and inhibited by radical scavengers have also been recorded." Further evidence for the SrnI mechanism in the case above was that some 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene was found among the products. This could easily be formed by abstraction by Ar- of Ft from the solvent NH3. Besides initiation by solvated electrons," " SrnI reactions have been initiated photochemically," electrochemically," and even thermally." ... 

The potency of a chain-breaking antioxidant, which scavenges peroxyl radicals, will decrease as the concentration of lipid peroxides in the LDL particle increases (Scheme 2.2). This is illustrated in the experiment shown in Fig. 2.3 in which the antioxidant potency of a peroxyl radical scavenger (BHT) decreases as a function of added exogenous hpid hydroperoxide. If the endogenous lipid peroxide content of LDL were to vary between individuals, this could explain the observed diferences in the effectiveness of a-tocopherol in suppressing lipid peroxidation promoted by copper. 

Lipid peroxidation (see Fig. 17.2) is a chain reaction that can be attacked in many ways. The chain reaction can be inhibited by use of radical scavengers (chain termination). Initiation of the chain reaction can be blocked by either inhibiting synthesis. of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or by use of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), complexes of SOD and catalase. Finally, agents that chelate iron can remove free iron and thus reduce Flaber-Weiss-mediated iron/oxygen injury. 

The reaction is retarded by the addition of the radical chain scavengers 2,6-di-/-butyl-4-methylphenol and hydroquinone. The oxidation rate is not affected by the oxygen pressure (Table 2), indicating that re-oxidation of Ce(III) in 1 is not rate limiting. The oxidation rate is first order in formaldehyde and goes through a maximum with increasing concentration of 1. All these phenomena are consistent with a chain radical mechanism of oxidation (11,12). 

Anti-oxidants can be divided into two classes depending on which part of the radical chain they quench. Primary anti-oxidants are radical scavengers and will react with alkyl chain radicals (R ) or hydroperoxides (ROOH). Secondary antioxidants work in combination with primary anti-oxidants and principally act by converting peroxide radicals (ROO ) into non-radical stable products. Synergism often works when both classes are used together. 

A combined addition of a chain-breaking inhibitor and a hydroperoxide-breaking substance is widely used to induce a more efficient inhibition of oxidative processes in polyalkenes, rubbers, lubricants, and other materials [3 8]. Kennerly and Patterson [12] were the first to study the combined action of a mixture, phenol (aromatic amine) + zinc dithiophosphate, on the oxidation of mineral oil. Various phenols and aromatic amines can well serve as peroxyl radical scavengers (see Chapter 15), while arylphosphites, thiopropionic ethers, dialkylthio-propionates, zinc and nickel thiophosphates, and other compounds are used to break down hydroperoxide (see Chapter 17). Efficient inhibitory blends are usually prepared empirically, by choosing such blend compositions that induce maximal inhibitory periods [13],... 

In 1977, Kellogg and Fridovich [28] showed that superoxide produced by the XO-acetaldehyde system initiated the oxidation of liposomes and hemolysis of erythrocytes. Lipid peroxidation was inhibited by SOD and catalase but not the hydroxyl radical scavenger mannitol. Gutteridge et al. [29] showed that the superoxide-generating system (aldehyde-XO) oxidized lipid micelles and decomposed deoxyribose. Superoxide and iron ions are apparently involved in the NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation in human placental mitochondria [30], Ohyashiki and Nunomura [31] have found that the ferric ion-dependent lipid peroxidation of phospholipid liposomes was enhanced under acidic conditions (from pH 7.4 to 5.5). This reaction was inhibited by SOD, catalase, and hydroxyl radical scavengers. Ohyashiki and Nunomura suggested that superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals participate in the initiation of liposome oxidation. It has also been shown [32] that SOD inhibited the chain oxidation of methyl linoleate (but not methyl oleate) in phosphate buffer. 

Antioxidants act so as to interrupt this chain reaction. Primary antioxidants, such as hindered phenol type antioxidants, function by reacting with free radical sites on the polymer chain. The free radical source is reduced because the reactive chain radical is eliminated and the antioxidant radical produced is stabilised by internal resonance. Secondary antioxidants decompose the hydroperoxide into harmless non-radical products. Where acidic decomposition products can themselves promote degradation, acid scavengers function by deactivating them. 

Fig. 7 Esr spectra obtained the polymerization of styrene by t-butoxyl radicals in the presence of MNP (Chalfont et al., 1968). Traces (a) and (b) were recorded on different scales using high scavenger concentration (c) represents an intermediate, and (d) a low scavenger concentration. The shoulder arrowed in (b) reveals a trace of growing-chain radical [29], whilst the lines marked x in (a) are due to [27]...

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