Free-radical chemistry, sulfur

Sulfochlorination of Paraffins. The sulfonation of paraffins using a mixture of sulfur dioxide and chlorine in the presence of light has been around since the 1930s and is known as the Reed reaction (123). This process is made possible by the use of free-radical chemistry and has had limited use in the United States. Other countries have had active research into process optimization (124,125). 

Sulfur free-radical chemistry is largely governed by the ability of sulfur to form three-electron bonded intermediates. A case in point is the complexation of a thiyl radical with a thiolate ion (for an analogy with the halide and other pseudohalide systems, see Chap. 5.2). These disulfide radical anions are characterized by strong absorptions in the UV-Vis (Adams et al. 1967). Complexation can occur both intermolecularly as well as intramolecularly. For GSH, for example, the stability constant of the disulfide radical anion is 2900 dm3 mol1 (Mezyk 1996a). The protonated disulfide radical anion is not stable, but such intermediates are known in the cases of the intramolecular complexes [reactions (39) and (40) Akhlaq and von Sonntag 1987]. 

This chapter highlights only the very recent achievements emerging from radiation chemical studies. There are several excellent and comprehensive reviews and books which present and discuss the topic of sulfur-centered free-radical chemistry in a more general and detailed manner see Refs. 1-7. 

The free-radical chemistry of the sulfur system is complicated and includes a variety of species and reactions. We developed a mechanism that can accurately model the overall behavior of the S(-II) + OH + 02 system with the minimum number of intermediates. Furthermore, we limited our interest to the neutral-to-alkaline pH region where the ultrasonic irradiation of S(-II) experiments were performed. 

J. A. Howard, Inhibition of Hydrocarbon Autoxidation by Some Sulfur Containing Transition Metal Complexes, in Frontiers in Free Radical Chemistry, W. Pryor, ed. (New York Academic Press, 1980), 237-282. 

The purpose of this section is to summarize kinetic and mechanistic information available regarding the elementary reactions of organic sulfur-centered free radicals in the gas phase. It is not intended to serve as a critical review of the kinetic data. The ensuing discussions are intended to facilitate a mechanistic understanding of organic sulfur-centered free radical chemistry in light of available kinetic and mechanistic information. Several tables of rate coefficients are included. These tables represent a compilation of the available rate coefficient data reported in the literature. In some instances, the rate coefficients were obtained via indirect measurement techniques which relied on complex reaction mechanisms to interpret the experimental data the potential for systematic errors in such studies is significant. 

Orga.nic Chemistry. The organic chemistry of sulfur dioxide, particularly as it relates to food appHcations, has been discussed (246). Although no reaction takes place with saturated hydrocarbons at moderate temperatures, the simultaneous passage of sulfur dioxide and oxygen into an alkane in the presence of a free-radical initiator or ultraviolet light affords a sulfonic acid such as hexanesulfonic acid [13595-73-8]. This is the so-called sulfoxidation reaction (247) ... 

Intramolecular cyclization of sulfonyl radicals is almost absent from literature. The fact that free radical cyclization has been the subject of a large number of studies and applications in the last decade in organic chemistry s and that sulfonyl radicals add quickly to multiple bonds vide infra) makes cyclization of sulfonyl radicals a rather attractive area. Recently, Johnson and Derenne S studied the reaction of 6-methylhept-5-en-2-ylcobaloxime(III) with sulfur dioxide and, based on the product analysis, they suggested reaction 15 to be an intermediate step. 

In recent years, the amount of research time devoted to materials chemistry has risen almost exponentially and sulfur-based radicals, such as the charge-transfer salts based upon TTF (tetrathiafulvalene), have played an important role in these developments. These TTF derivatives will not be discussed here but are dealt with elsewhere in this book. Instead we focus on recent developments in the area of group 15/16 free radicals. Up until the latter end of the last century, these radicals posed fundamental questions regarding the structure and bonding in main group chemistry. Now, in many cases, their thermodynamic and kinetic stability allows them to be used in the construction of molecular magnets and conductors. In this overview we will focus on the synthesis and characterisation of these radicals with a particular emphasis on their physical properties. 

Another class of chain scission positive resists is the poly(olefin-sulfones). These materials are alternating copolymers of an olefin and sulfur dioxide, prepared by free radical solution polymerization. The relatively weak C-S bond, 60 kcal/mole compared with 80 kcal/mole for a carbon-carbon bond, is readily cleaved upon irradiation (Gs values for these polymers are typically 10), and several sensitive resists have been developed based on this chemistry (53). One material that has been made commercially available is poly (butene-1-sulfone) (54). 

NMR observes the chemistry of only the proton nucleus (though it can observe many other nuclei independently). This means that hetero and metallic chemistry cannot be observed directly. Thus, sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and metals cannot be directly analyzed by NMR, though secondary correlations can be obtained from the proton chemistry of the sample. In combination with electron spin resonance (ESR) analyzers that can operate in the fringe fields of the NMR magnet the presence of paramagnetic metals and free radicals can be quantified. 

As discussed in Chapters 7, 8, and 9, there are a number of free radical species whose reactions in the aqueous phase drive the chemistry of clouds and fogs. These include OH, HOz, NO-, halogen radicals such as Cl2, sulfur oxide radicals, and R02. Generation of these radicals in the liquid phase for use in kinetic... 

FIGURE 8.18 Summary of initiation, propagation, and termination steps in the free radical oxidation of S(IV) in solution. (Adapted from J. Atmos. Chem. 20, Sander R., Lelieveld, J., and Crutzen, P. J. Modelling of the Nighttime Nitrogen and Sulfur Chemistry in Size Resolved Droplets of Orographic Cloud, Fig. 7, pp. 89-116. Copyright 1995, with kind permission from Kluwer Academic Publishers.)... 

According to a recent Organic Syntheses procedure, fluoromethyl phenyl sul-fone, which can be prepared on a large scale [90] (Eq. 23), undergoes a number of useful reactions. A Wadsworth-Emmons-type procedure affords a-fluoro-vinylsulfones [91], which undergo tin-sulfur exchange under free radical conditions (Eq. 24). The products maybe protodestannylated [92],fluorinated [93],or coupled under palladium catalysis [94]. The difluoromethyl phenyl sulfone also shows some useful chemistry. 

Armstrong D, Sun Q, Schuler RH (1996) Reduction potentials and kinetics of electron transfer reactions of phenylthiyl radicals comparisons with phenoxyl radicals. J Phys Chem 100 9892-9899 Asmus K-D (1979) Stabilization of oxidized sulfur centers in organic sulfides. Radical cations and odd-electron sulfur-sulfur bonds. Acc Chem Res 12 436-442 Asmus K-D (1990a) Sulfur-centered free radicals. Methods Enzymol 186 168-180 Asmus K-D (1990b) Sulfur-centered three-electron bonded radical species. In Chatgilialoglu C, Asmus K-D (eds) Sulfur-centered reactive intermediates in chemistry and biology. Plenum, New York, pp 155-172... 

The reaction chemistry of simple organic molecules in supercritical (SC) water can be described by heterolytic (ionic) mechanisms when the ion product 1 of the SC water exceeds 10" and by homolytic (free radical) mechanisms when <<10 1 . For example, in SC water with Kw>10-11 ethanol undergoes rapid dehydration to ethylene in the presence of dilute Arrhenius acids, such as 0.01M sulfuric acid and 1.0M acetic acid. Similarly, 1,3 dioxolane undergoes very rapid and selective hydration in SC water, producing ethylene glycol and formaldehyde without catalysts. In SC methanol the decomposition of 1,3 dioxolane yields 2 methoxyethanol, il lustrating the role of the solvent medium in the heterolytic reaction mechanism. Under conditions where K klO"11 the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene is not catalyzed by Arrhenius acids. Instead, the decomposition products include a variety of hydrocarbons and carbon oxides. 

As mentioned earlier, at 500° C and 34.5 MPa supercritical water has a small dielectric constant, a very low ion product, and behaves as a high temperature gas. These properties would be expected to minimize the role of heterolysis in the dehydration chemistry. As shown in Table 1, the conversion of ethanol to ethylene at 500° C is small, even in the presence of 0.01M sulfuric acid catalyst. The appearance of the byproducts CO, C02) CH i+ and C2H6 points to the onset of nonselective, free radical reactions in the decomposition chemistry, as would be expected in the high temperature gas phase thermolysis of ethanol. 

The autoxidation of aqueous solutions of sulfur dioxide (sulfite, bisulfite) is a classic problem in chemistry. Basic features of this reaction have been known since early in this century, when it was established that the reaction is trace metal ion catalyzed (1 ) and most likely involves free radicals (2). Certain chemical effects associated with sulfite autoxidation were noted also. Before the turn of the century, it was noted that sulfite would induce the oxidation of transition metal ions (3) and it was reported later that the oxidation of organic compounds was brought about during sulfite autoxidation ( 0. Conversly, organic compounds were also shown to serve as inhibitors of sulfite autoxidation (5). 

Prutz WA (1990) Free radical transfer involving sulphur peptide functions. In Chatgilialoglu C, Asmus KD (eds) Sulfur-centered reactive intermediates in chemistry and biology. Plenum, New York... 

Radiation chemistry, and pulse radiolysis in particular, is now a mature subject that is available as a very valuable and a powerful tool by which fundamental problems in free radical reaction mechanisms can be addressed. This chapter is restricted to studies concerning sulfur-centered radicals and radical-ions performed by radiation chemistry techniques in the first eight years of XXI century (2001-2008). SuMur-centered radicals represent a very interesting class of radicals since they exhibit very interesting redox chemistry, including biological redox processes, and different spectral and kinetic properties as... 

Hydrogen-atom donation from thiols to carbon-centered radicals was too often assumed to be the only property of thiols that is important in free radical processes in biology. Moreover, it was a common presumption that reaction (1) was the end of the biological pathway in which thiols repair radicals. Equilibria turned out to be much more important in sulfur radical chemistry than was first thought. For instance, the hydrogen-donation reaction was found to be a reversible equilibrium over 30 years after it was first observed. ... 

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