Free radicals photochemical production

Chlorine atoms obtained from the dissociation of chlorine molecules by thermal, photochemical, or chemically initiated processes react with a methane molecule to form hydrogen chloride and a methyl-free radical. The methyl radical reacts with an undissociated chlorine molecule to give methyl chloride and a new chlorine radical necessary to continue the reaction. Other more highly chlorinated products are formed in a similar manner. Chain terrnination may proceed by way of several of the examples cited in equations 6, 7, and 8. The initial radical-producing catalytic process is inhibited by oxygen to an extent that only a few ppm of oxygen can drastically decrease the reaction rate. In some commercial processes, small amounts of air are dehberately added to inhibit chlorination beyond the monochloro stage. 

Degradation of carbon tetrachloride by photochemical, x-ray, or ultrasonic energy produces the trichloromethyl free radical which on dimeri2ation gives hexachloroethane. Chloroform under strong x-ray irradiation also gives the trichloromethyl radical intermediate and hexachloroethane as final product. 

There is a great deal of flexibility in the choice of laser radiation in the production of thin Aims by photochemical decomposition, and many routes for achieving the same objective can be explored. In most reactions of indusuial interest the reaction path is via tire formation of free radicals as intermediates, and the complete details of the reaction patlrs are not adequately defined. However, it may be anticipated that the success of the photochemical production of new materials in tlrin fllms and in fine powder form will lead to considerably greater effort in the elucidation of these kinetics. 

The important hydrocarbon classes are alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, and oxygenates. The first three classes are generally released to the atmosphere, whereas the fourth class, the oxygenates, is generally formed in the atmosphere. Propene will be used to illustrate the types of reactions that take place with alkenes. Propene reactions are initiated by a chemical reaction of OH or O3 with the carbon-carbon double bond. The chemical steps that follow result in the formation of free radicals of several different types which can undergo reaction with O2, NO, SO2, and NO2 to promote the formation of photochemical smog products. 

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." ... 

For example, photolysis of a suspension of an arylthallium ditrifluoro-acetate in benzene results in the formation of unsymmetrical biphenyls in high yield (80-90%) and in a high state of purity 152). The results are in full agreement with a free radical pathway which, as suggested above, is initiated by a photochemically induced homolysis of the aryl carbon-thallium bond. Capture of the resulting aryl radical by benzene would lead to the observed unsymmetrical biphenyl, while spontaneous disproportionation of the initially formed Tl(II) species to thallium(I) trifluoroacetate and trifluoroacetoxy radicals, followed by reaction of the latter with aryl radicals, accounts for the very small amounts of aryl trifluoroacetates formed as by-products. This route to unsymmetrical biphenyls thus complements the well-known Wolf and Kharasch procedure involving photolysis of aromatic iodides 171). Since the most versatile route to the latter compounds involves again the intermediacy of arylthallium ditrifluoroacetates (treatment with aqueous potassium iodide) 91), these latter compounds now occupy a central role in controlled biphenyl synthesis. 

The mechanism involves photochemical production of a free electron in the conduction band (e b ) nd a corresponding hole (h b ) in th valence band. Both of these produce H2O2 and thence hydroxyl radicals. 

The cage effect described above is also referred to as the Franck-Rabinowitch effect (5). It has one other major influence on reaction rates that is particularly noteworthy. In many photochemical reactions there is often an initiatioh step in which the absorption of a photon leads to homolytic cleavage of a reactant molecule with concomitant production of two free radicals. In gas phase systems these radicals are readily able to diffuse away from one another. In liquid solutions, however, the pair of radicals formed initially are caged in by surrounding solvent molecules and often will recombine before they can diffuse away from one another. This phenomenon is referred to as primary recombination, as opposed to secondary recombination, which occurs when free radicals combine after having previously been separated from one another. The net effect of primary recombination processes is to reduce the photochemical yield of radicals formed in the initiation step for the reaction. 

Initiation by light accelerates oxidation due to the photochemical generation of free radicals, which was noticed by Backstrom [16] and repeated by many others [9,11 — 13], The quantum yield (photooxidation products is sufficiently higher than unity. Here are several examples [12]. 

Parman T, Chen G, Wells PG. Free radical intermediates of phenytoin and related teratogens. Prostaglandin H synthase-catalyzed bioactivation, electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry, and photochemical product analysis. J Biol Chem 1998 273(39) 25079-25088. 

The photochemical reaction of 2,3,4,6-tetra-0-acetyl-/3-D-gluco-pyranosyl sulfone (57) in benzene under nitrogen has been carefully studied, and a number of products identified116 (see Scheme 22). A mechanism that involves a photochemically initiated series of free-radical processes has been proposed that is consistent not only with product formation but also with the extent of incorporation of deuterium found in the various products following irradiation of 57 in benzene-d6. The mechanism shown in Scheme 22 is compatible with proposals offered to explain sulfone photochemistry in noncarbohy-... 

KeUey, E. E., Buettner, G. R., and Bums, C. P., 1997, Production ofhpid-derived free radicals in L1210 murine leukemia cells is an early oxidative event in the photodynamic action of Hiotofrin, Photochem. Photobiol. 65 576-580. 

The UV radiation adsorbed by chromophoric DOM stimulates production of free radical (singlet) O2. This leads to high concentrations of the free radicals within and around the CDOM, creating local conditions of high reactivity. Thus, chromophoric DOM, which tends to be HMW, can be thought of as a photochemical micro reactor in which free radical oxidations are promoted. Given its macromolecular nature, CDOM... 

A photooxidative reaction in which molecular oxygen is incorporated into the reaction products(s). Three mechanisms appear to be common for such processes (a) reaction of triplet O2 with free radicals that have been generated photochemically (b) reaction of photochemically produced singlet oxygen with a molecular species and (c) the production of superoxide anion which then acts as the reactive species. See also Photooxidation... 

Furthermore this chapter deals chiefly with polymerizations which are catalyzed by acid-acting catalysts. A comprehensive discussion of not only the thermal but even the photochemical and free radical-initiated polymerizations is outside its scope. The free radical-initiated reactions include those which are induced by metal alkylies, peroxides, oxygen and certain other substances. They depend on free radical initiation of a chain reaction whether or not these free radicals should be considered to be catalysts has been questioned because the radicals enter into the reaction chain and are part of the reaction product. 

The first step in the peroxide-induced reaction is the decomposition of the peroxide to form a free radical. The oxygen-induced reaction may involve the intermediate formation of a peroxide or a free radical olefin-oxygen addition product. (In the case of thermal and photochemical reactions, the free radical may be formed by the opening up of the double bond or, more probably, by dissociation of a carbon-hydrogen bond in metal alkyl-induced reactions, decomposition of the metal alkyl yields alkyl radicals.)... 

Absorption of sunlight induces photochemistry and generates a variety of free radicals that drive the chemistry of the troposphere as well as the stratosphere. This chapter focuses on the absorption spectra and photochemistry of important atmospheric species. These data can be used in conjunction with the actinic fluxes described in the preceding chapter to estimate rates of photolysis of various molecules as well as the rate of generation of photolysis products, including free radicals, from these photochemical processes. 

In addition to the dark oxidation of S(IV) on surfaces, there may be photochemically induced processes as well. For example, irradiation of aqueous suspensions of solid a-Fe203 (hematite) containing S(IV) with light of A > 295 nm resulted in the production of Fe(II) in solution (Faust and Hoffmann, 1986 Faust et al., 1989 Hoffmann et al., 1995). This reductive dissolution of the hematite has been attributed to the absorption of light by surface Fe(III)-S(IV) complexes, which leads to the generation of electron-hole pairs, followed by an electron transfer in which the adsorbed S(IV) is oxidized to the SO-p radical anion. This initiates the free radical chemistry described earlier. 

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