Nitrate radical reaction with alcohols

The rate data for reaction of NO3 with aliphatic esters show that the presence of the ester group in an organic molecule has little influence on the reactivity compared to the parent alkane. The reactivity trends exhibited by the nitrate radical for reactions with alcohols, ethers and esters are similar to those shown for the analogous reactions of hydroxyl radicals. The major products identified from the NO3 radical-initiated oxidation of alcohols, ethers and esters under atmospheric conditions were esters, carbonyls and alkyl nitrates. Similar products arise from the reactions of OH radicals with these molecules under atmospheric conditions. 

Nitrations are highly exothermic, ie, ca 126 kj/mol (30 kcal/mol). However, the heat of reaction varies with the hydrocarbon that is nitrated. The mechanism of a nitration depends on the reactants and the operating conditions. The reactions usually are either ionic or free-radical. Ionic nitrations are commonly used for aromatics many heterocycHcs hydroxyl compounds, eg, simple alcohols, glycols, glycerol, and cellulose and amines. Nitration of paraffins, cycloparaffins, and olefins frequentiy involves a free-radical reaction. Aromatic compounds and other hydrocarbons sometimes can be nitrated by free-radical reactions, but generally such reactions are less successful. 

Chemical/Physical. The gas-phase reaction of ozone with pyridine in synthetic air at 23 °C yielded a nitrated salt having the formula [CeHsNHJ NOs (Atkinson et al., 1987). Ozonation of pyridine in aqueous solutions at 25 °C was studied with and without the addition of ferf-butyl alcohol (20 mM) as a radical scavenger. With tert-hniyX alcohol, ozonation of pyridine yielded mainly pyridine W-oxide (80% yield), which was very stable towards ozone. Without terf-butyl alcohol, the heterocyclic ring is rapidly cleaved forming ammonia, nitrate, and the amidic compound W-formyl oxamic acid (Andreozzi et al., 1991). 

Chemical/Physical. Products identified from the reaction of toluene with nitric oxide and OH radicals include benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, 3-nitrotoluene, p-methylbenzoquinone, and o, m, and p-cresol (Kenley et ah, 1978). Gaseous toluene reacted with nitrate radicals in purified air forming the following products benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, benzyl nitrate, and 2-, 3-, and 4-nitro-toluene (Chiodini et al., 1993). Under atmospheric conditions, the gas-phase reaction with OH radicals and nitrogen oxides resulted in the formation of benzaldehyde, benzyl nitrate, 3-nitrotoluene, and o-, m-, and p-cresol (Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts, 1986 Atkinson, 1990). 

The use of nitrogen dioxide for the selective oxidation of polysaccharides to polyuronic acids was introduced by Kenyon and his coworkers13,63 in 1941. By this means extensive oxidation of the primary alcohol groups in cellulose was obtained, through the mechanism of preferential nitration followed by decomposition of the nitric acid ester with carboxyl forma-tion.68(0< > Apparently some undissociated nitration products also were formed, since infrared absorption studies54 indicated the presence of nitrate radicals in the polyuronic acid. Side reactions produced carboxyl,... 

As discussed in section 4, reaction of the peroxy radicals with N02 gives thermally unstable peroxy nitrates. Reaction with H02 gives hydroperoxides and possibly carbonyl compounds. Reaction with other peroxy radicals (R 02) gives alkoxy radicals, carbonyls, and alcohols. The alkoxy radicals will then either isomerize, react with 02, or decompose (see Sect. 3). Thus, the NO3 radical-initiated atmospheric degradation of alkenes leads to oxiranes (generally in small yield), nitrooxy hydroperoxides, nitrooxy carbonyls, and nitrooxyalcohols. For a detailed listing of products from individual alkenes the reader should consult Calvert et al. [55]. 

Bases, Neutral Salts.— As a base it forms salts, in which form the diazo compound is obtained by diazotization, and which though also unstable has been isolated in small quantities and the composition and properties determined. Of the three salts, the sulphate, chloride and nitrate, the first is the most stable and the last is the least stable. They are colorless crystalline neutral compounds soluble in water, difficultly soluble in alcohol and insoluble in ether. After being prepared by the ordinary diazo reaction, with sodium nitrite in cold acid water solution, they may be precipitated in crystalline form by the addition of alcohol and ether. If the diazotization is effected in alcohol solution by means of amyl nitrite or ethyl nitrite the crystals of the diazonium salt separate at once. These salts of diazo benzene all show true salt characteristics, e.g., they lower the freezing point of solutions. The diazo radical, (CeHs—N2—) is thus basic toward strong acids, and the hydroxide, the non-isolated hypothetical diazo benzene, CeHs—N2—OH, is the free base. It may be considered as the simplest aromatic diazo compound and the mother substance of all other members of the class. 

The reaction of NO3 with unsaturated ethers proceeds by addition to the >C=C< double bond. Both steric and inductive effects are known to influence the reactivity of NO3 with unsaturated alcohols, e.g. 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol is slightly less reactive than 1-butene. Unsaturated ethers are more reactive than unsaturated alcohols towards NO3. Comparison of the measured rate constants shows that, similar to the reaction with O3, the presence of the carbonyl group decreases the reactivity of NO3 toward the >C=C< double bond. The reaction of NO3 with unsaturated oxygenates proceeds by addition to either one of the carbon atoms of >C=C< double bond, preferentially to the most substituted radical. In the presence of NOx, the reaction may ultimately lead to organic nitrates among the first generation products. 

A number of esters [10], ethers [11, 12] and alcohols [13] were investigated with respect to reactivity with nitrate radicals. Both absolute and relative rate methods were employed. Rate coefficients for the reaction of NO3 are given in Table 1. The rate coefficients for aliphatic esters may be predicted from available group reactivity factors for alkanes provided that formate carbonyl hydrogen atoms are treated as primary hydrogen atoms. The rate coefficients with temperature dependence for ethers and alcohols are valid between 268 to 363 K. 

Since during the Purex process TBP, alkane, and aqueous nitric acid solution are in mixture or contact condition, the radiation chemical transformations depend on the composition, concentration of nitric acid, contaminant metal ions, irradiation conditions, and oxygen concentration (Triphathi and Ramanujam 2003 Katsumura 2004). Under aerated condition, the organic radicals react with oxygen forming peroxy radicals. After successive reactions a variety of alcohols, ketones, peroxides, and carbonyl compounds form. The ratio of nitration products to oxidation products is 0.8, and the ratio increases if there is no sufficient supply of O2. 

Oxalic and malonic acids, as well as a-hydroxy acids, easily react with cerium(IV) salts (Sheldon and Kochi, 1968). Simple alkanoic acids are much more resistant to attack by cerium(IV) salts. However, silver(I) salts catalyze the thermal decarboxylation of alkanoic acids by ammonium hexanitratocerate(IV) (Nagori et al., 1981). Cerium(IV) carboxylates can be decomposed by either a thermal or a photochemical reaction (Sheldon and Kochi, 1968). Alkyl radicals are released by the decarboxylation reaction, which yields alkanes, alkenes, esters and carbon dioxide. The oxidation of substituted benzilic acids by cerium(IV) salts affords the corresponding benzilic acids in quantitative yield (scheme 19) (Hanna and Sarac, 1977). Trahanovsky and coworkers reported that phenylacetic acid is decarboxylated by reaction with ammonium hexanitratocerate(IV) in aqueous acetonitrile containing nitric acid (Trahanovsky et al., 1974). The reaction products are benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, benzyl nitrate and carbon dioxide. The reaction is also applicable to substituted phenylacetic acids. The decarboxylation is a one-electron process and radicals are formed as intermediates. The rate-determining step is the decomposition of the phenylacetic acid/cerium(IV) complex into a benzyl radical and carbon dioxide. 

Noda, J., M. Hallquist, S. Langer, and E. Ljungstrom (2000), Products from the gas-phase reaction of some unsaturated alcohols with nitrate radicals, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2, 2555-2564. 

There are very few homolytic reactions on triazolopyridines. A suggestion that the ring opening reactions of compound 1 involved free radical intermediates is not substantiated (98T9785). The involvement of radical intermediates in additions to ylides is discussed in Section IV.I. The reaction of radicals with compound 5 and its 1-substituted derivatives gives 4-substituted compounds such as 234 (96ZOK1085). A more detailed study of the reaction of the 1-methyl and 1-phenyl derivatives with r-butanol and ammonium persulfate produced 4-methyl substitution with a silver nitrate catalyst, and the side chain alcohol 235 without the catalyst (96ZOK1412). 

Booker-Milburn et al. used the oxidative ring-expansion/cycHzation strategy they previously developed as an efficient way to stereoselectively build the bicyclo [5.3.0] framework of terpene-based natural products. For example, reaction of substrate 258 with iron (in) nitrate in DMF led to the formation of keto-alcohol 260 in fair yield as a single diastereomer (Scheme 76) [214]. Reduction of the final radical coming from the cyclization of 259 by 1,4-cyclohexadiene was smooth and the overall reaction proceeded without protection of the tertiary alcohol, opening the way to the total synthesis of pogostol and kessane. 

Thioepichlorohydrine reacted with Ce(IV) oxidants in different alcohols under refluxing conditions to produce bis(2-chloro-2 -alkoxy-isopropyl)disulfides in 40-70% yields (Scheme 25). By comparison of the results obtained from the reactions of thiiranes with Ce(IV) oxidants, the order of reactivity of these reagents was found to be as follows ceric ammonium nitrate > ceric triethyl ammonium nitrate > ceric pyridinium nitrate and ceric sulphate. The assumption that the radical cations (59) and (60) are intermediates may account for the mechanism of this reaction <91T149>. 

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