Induced-hydroperoxide decomposition

Two secondary propagating reactions often accompany the initial peroxide decomposition radical-induced decompositions and -scission reactions. Both reactions affect the reactivity and efficiency of the initiation process. Peroxydicarbonates and hydroperoxides are particularly susceptible to radical-induced decompositions. In radical-induced decomposition, a radical in the system reacts with undecomposed peroxide, eg ... 

However, because of the high temperature nature of this class of peroxides (10-h half-life temperatures of 133—172°C) and their extreme sensitivities to radical-induced decompositions and transition-metal activation, hydroperoxides have very limited utiUty as thermal initiators. The oxygen—hydrogen bond in hydroperoxides is weak (368-377 kJ/mol (88.0-90.1 kcal/mol) BDE) andis susceptible to attack by higher energy radicals ... 

This is basically the same type of induced decomposition that occurs with other peroxide classes, eg, the dialkyl peioxydicaibonates and diacyl peroxides. Table 8. Commercial rerf-Alkyl Hydroperoxides ... 

Hydroperoxides are photo- and thermally sensitive and undergo initial oxygen—oxygen bond homolysis, and they are readily attacked by free radicals undergoing induced decompositions (eqs. 8—10). 

Therefore, first-order, decomposition rates for alkyl hydroperoxides, ie, from oxygen—oxygen bond homolysis, are vaUd only if induced decomposition reactions... 

Although primary and secondary alkyl hydroperoxides are attacked by free radicals, as in equations 8 and 9, such reactions are not chain scission reactions since the alkylperoxy radicals terminate by disproportionation without forming the new radicals needed to continue the chain (53). Overall decomposition rates are faster than the tme first-order rates if radical-induced decompositions are not suppressed. 

The ultimate fate of the oxygen-centered radicals generated from alkyl hydroperoxides depends on the decomposition environment. In vinyl monomers, hydroperoxides can be used as efficient sources of free radicals because vinyl monomers generally are efficient radical scavengers which effectively suppress induced decomposition. When induced decomposition occurs, the hydroperoxide is decomposed with no net increase of radicals in the system (see eqs. 8, 9, and 10). Hydroperoxides usually are not effective free-radical initiators since radical-induced decompositions significantly decrease the efficiency of radical generation. Thermal decomposition-rate studies in dilute solutions show that alkyl hydroperoxides have 10-h HLTs of 133—172°C. 

As electrophilic substitutes for peracids, the use of borate ester induced decomposition of alkyl hydroperoxides and molybdenum VI peroxy-complexes have been reported in the recent literature. Although these reagents have led to the epoxidation of olefins in greater than 90% yield there are no reports yet of their application to steroid olefins. 

Primary and secondary hydroperoxides are also susceptible to induced decomposition through loss of an a-hydrogen. The radical formed is usually not stable and undergoes (3-scission to give a carbonyl compound and hydroxy radical.2"3 It is reported that these hydroperoxides may also undergo non-radical decomposition with evolution of hydrogen.137... 

With Ti4 and Fe3+ this latter pathway is thought not to occur. The formation of ROO, observed at high hydroperoxide concentrations, is attributed to the occurrence of induced decomposition.226... 

Oxygen-centered radicals are arguably the most common of initiator-derived species generated during initiation of polymerization and many studies have dealt with these species. The class includes alkoxy, hydroxy and aeyloxy radicals and tire sulfate radical anion (formed as primary radicals by homolysis of peroxides or hyponitrites) and alkylperoxy radicals (produced by the interaction of carbon-centered radicals with molecular oxygen or by the induced decomposition of hydroperoxides). 

Alkylperoxy radicals are generated by the reactions of carbon-centered radicals with oxygen and in the induced decomposition of hydroperoxides (Scheme 3.82). Their reactions have been reviewed by Howard452 and rate constants for their self reaction and for their reaction with a variety of substrates including various inhibitors have been tabulated.453... 

Induced reactions involving hydrogen peroxide can be observed with hydrogen peroxide derivatives, as well. For instance, the reaction between cumene hydroperoxide and iron(IT), in the absence of oxygen, results in a considerable induced decomposition of the peroxy compound, while, in the presence of oxygen, a marked oxidation of iron(II) takes place s . 

Organic peroxides and hydroperoxides decompose in part by a self-induced radical chain mechanism whereby radicals released in spontaneous decomposition attack other molecules of the peroxide.The attacking radical combines with one part of the peroxide molecule and simultaneously releases another radical. The net result is the wastage of a molecule of peroxide since the number of primary radicals available for initiation is unchanged. The velocity constant ka we require refers to the spontaneous decomposition only and not to the total decomposition rate which includes the contribution of the chain, or induced, decomposition. Induced decomposition usually is indicated by deviation of the decomposition process from first-order kinetics and by a dependence of the rate on the solvent, especially when it consists of a polymerizable monomer. The constant kd may be separately evaluated through kinetic measurements carried out in the presence of inhibitors which destroy the radical chain carriers. The aliphatic azo-bis-nitriles offer a real advantage over benzoyl peroxide in that they are not susceptible to induced decomposition. 

The measured rate constants show some inconsistencies in relation to other work. The most noticeable is the low ratio of kceric/kphotoiysis at 30°C. for f erf-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide compared with estimates, —5 to 10 for k /k2, obtained from studies of the induced decomposition of these hydroperoxides (22, 46, 48). The photolytic rate constant for cumene hydroperoxide is considerably larger than the termination constant for the oxidation of cumene containing cumene hydroperoxide as determined by the rotating sector (25, 26, 27, 28). It is not clear whether these differences represent some unappreciated features... 

Usually, such a situation occurs at induced decomposition of peroxides and hydroperoxides of organic substances. 

For most polymers, the yield of hydroperoxides is relatively low even in the presence of oxygen excess. The relatively high values were, e.g., obtained during oxidation of atactic polypropylene [79], In the initial phases of oxidation, the yield of hydroperoxide related to 1 mol of oxygen absorbed is 0.6 at 130 °C when passing the maximum concentration it decreases considerably. In isotactic polypropylene, the maximum yield of hydroperoxides attains the value 0.2, only [80]. This may be probably related with a local accumulation of hydroperoxides in domains of defects in the crystalline structure which leads to an increased ratio of participation of hydroperoxide groups in the chain reaction of an oxidation process (induced decomposition of hydroperoxides) and finally to a lower yield of hydroperoxides... 

Oxidation products from the solvent are formed even in the absence of molecular oxygen in a reaction system. Alcohols derived from the solvent molecules arise as products of an induced decomposition of hydroperoxides ... 

Competition between metal ion-induced and radical-induced decompositions of alkyl hydroperoxides is affected by several factors. First, the competition is influenced by the relative concentrations of the metal complex and the hydroperoxide. At high concentrations of the hydroperoxide relative to the metal complex, alkoxy radicals will compete effectively with the metal complex for the hydroperoxide. Competition is also influenced by the nature of the solvent (see above). Contribution from the metal-induced reaction is expected to predominate at low hydroperoxide concentrations and in reactive solvents. The contribution from the metal-induced decomposition to the overall reaction is readily determined by carrying out the reaction in the presence of free radical inhibitors, such as phenols, that trap the alkoxy radicals and, hence, prevent radical-induced decomposition.129,1303 Thus, Kamiya etal.129 showed that the initial rate of the cobalt-catalyzed decomposition of tetralin hydroperoxide, when corrected for the contribution from radical-induced decomposition by the... 

As mentioned above, autoxidation studies124 indicate that reaction (104) is much faster than reaction (105) in hydrocarbon media. The kinetics of the reaction between manganous stearate and n-decyl hydroperoxide have been studied, and both metal-induced and radical-induced decomposition of hydroperoxide were observed. 

The mechanism proposed so far takes account of the induction period and initial stages of the reaction only, and it is difficult to see how it can account for the large amount of hydroperoxide decomposed by the sulfur compound. However, Tetralin hydroperoxide is decomposed catalytically by acids (5). Although in the absence of dilauryl thiodipropionate the decomposition of Tetralin hydroperoxide in the presence of acetic acid at 70 °C. was very slow, if the acid species is a much stronger acid than acetic—e.g., a sulfonic acid as seems likely from the nature of the products of the reaction, the rate of acid-induced decomposition may be comparable with the rate of decomposition by the sulfur compound. Some evidence that acid-induced decomposition does occur at some stage in the over-all reaction is found in the presence of an ortho substituted aromatic compound in the solid product of the reaction. The acid catalyzed decomposition of Tetralin hydroperoxide follows the path of Reaction 14 (5) to give y-(o-hydroxyphenyl)butyraldehyde. This forms a brown resin which is mainly the aldol of this aldehyde (cfthe resin obtained in this work). 

Instead of either an acid-induced decomposition or acid-catalyzed sulfur compound—hydroperoxide decomposition reaction occurring— formation of alternative active species which catalytically decompose the hydroperoxide is possible, such as SCL, as suggested by Hawkins and Sautter (4). However, under conditions of this work where vigorous drying of solvents was not used, SOL could be converted into the acid which would then induce the acid-catalyzed decomposition of the peroxide. 

The decomposition of hydroperoxides can also be induced by raising the temperature and is promoted by metal catalysis. Free radicals formed during the reaction (4) and (5) can also take part in radical induced decomposition of hydroperoxides... 

The latter observations with methyl oleate, together with thermodynamic considerations and EPR evidence for free radical intermediates, suggest an alternative explanation for the dramatic increase in oxidation rates once hydroperoxides accumulate, namely that bimolecular decomposition may be specific to allylic hydroperoxides and proceed via LOO radical-induced decomposition rather than by dissociation of hydrogen-bonded dimers (280). Reaction sequence 63 is analogous to Reactions 49 and 50a, where one slowly reacting radical reacts with a... 

Radical-induced decomposition is thermodynamically favorable (Ea = 37.5 kCal), and is also more consistent with the characteristics of bimolecular initiation by hydroperoxides originally proposed by Russell (356), the kinetics measured in lipid oxidation systems, and significant epoxide products reported in many studies. Most importantly, the radical-induced decomposition described in Reaction 63 provides a powerful cascade of reactive radicals to fuel the very rapid increase in oxidation during the bimolecular rate period. 

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