Oxidation radical chain

Like most other engineering thermoplastics, acetal resins are susceptible to photooxidation by oxidative radical chain reactions. Carbon—hydrogen bonds in the methylene groups are principal sites for initial attack. Photooxidative degradation is typically first manifested as chalking on the surfaces of parts. 

Various authors have studied the ageing of triterpenoid resins to understand and possibly slow their deterioration [3, 4, 12, 13, 17 36]. The main degradation pathway is autoxida-tion, an oxidative radical chain reaction [37, 38] after formation of radicals, oxygen from the air is inserted, leading to peroxides. The peroxides can be homolytically cleaved, resulting in new radicals that continue the chain reaction. The cleavage of peroxide bonds can be induced thermally or photochemically. 

Read s group (86, 87) are studying some interesting co-oxidation reactions catalyzed particularly by RhCl(PPh3)3 in benzene at 20°C. Terminal olefins and triphenylphosphine are converted by 02 to the corresponding methyl ketones and the phosphine oxide. Radical chain processes were not detected, and such reactions normally do not yield methyl ketone products. Net oxygen-atom transfers were considered to result via the mechanism shown in Scheme 3. 

The chemical mechanism of drying has been established as an oxidative radical chain reaction process, which has been summarized as follows (8) ... 

The oxidation radical chain (auto-oxidation) is very important in the spoiling of... 

Longer wavelength visible light can be used instead of UV photons needed in the gas phase. This has the important advantage that the radical-generating reactions which compete with the desired oxidation radical chain reaction are now suppressed. For example. 

The peroxy and oxy free radicals formed during the propagation and branching steps of the autox-idation radical chain (cf. Fig. 3.19) are scavenged by antioxidants (AH cf. Fig. 3.35). Antioxidants containing a phenolic group play the major role in food. In reactions 1 and 2 in Fig. 3.35, they form radicals which are stabihzed by an aromatic resonance system. In contrast to the acyl peroxy and oxy free radicals, they are not able to abstract a H-atom from an unsaturated fatty acid and therefore cannot initiate hpid peroxidation. The end-products formed in reactions 3 and 4 in Fig. 3.35 are relatively stable and in consequence the aut-oxidation radical chains are shortened. 

In oxidative atmosphere, screw speed exhibits a greater influence than in inert atmosphere. Chain cleaving reactions, introduced by thermal and mechanical loads, subsequently initiate thermal-oxidative radical chain reactions. 

Quantitative data obtained at 45°C by these authors indicate clearly that termination (by coupling or disproportionation) is not very efficient since a significant fraction of alkoxy radicals (typically 35-40%) escape from the cage to initiate new oxidation radical chains. 

Thermal Oxidative Stability. ABS undergoes autoxidation and the kinetic features of the oxygen consumption reaction are consistent with an autocatalytic free-radical chain mechanism. Comparisons of the rate of oxidation of ABS with that of polybutadiene and styrene—acrylonitrile copolymer indicate that the polybutadiene component is significantly more sensitive to oxidation than the thermoplastic component (31—33). Oxidation of polybutadiene under these conditions results in embrittlement of the mbber because of cross-linking such embrittlement of the elastomer in ABS results in the loss of impact resistance. Studies have also indicated that oxidation causes detachment of the grafted styrene—acrylonitrile copolymer from the elastomer which contributes to impact deterioration (34). 

One characteristic of chain reactions is that frequentiy some initiating process is required. In hydrocarbon oxidations radicals must be introduced and to be self-sustained, some source of radicals must be produced in a chain-branching step. Moreover, new radicals must be suppHed at a rate sufficient to replace those lost by chain termination. In hydrocarbon oxidation, this usually involves the hydroperoxide cycle (eqs. 1—5). 

The kinetics of formation and hydrolysis of /-C H OCl have been investigated (262). The chemistry of alkyl hypochlorites, /-C H OCl in particular, has been extensively explored (247). /-Butyl hypochlorite reacts with a variety of olefins via a photoinduced radical chain process to give good yields of aUyflc chlorides (263). Steroid alcohols can be oxidized and chlorinated with /-C H OCl to give good yields of ketosteroids and chlorosteroids (264) (see Steroids). /-Butyl hypochlorite is a more satisfactory reagent than HOCl for /V-chlorination of amines (265). Sulfides are oxidized in excellent yields to sulfoxides without concomitant formation of sulfones (266). 2-Amino-1, 4-quinones are rapidly chlorinated at room temperature chlorination occurs specifically at the position adjacent to the amino group (267). Anhydropenicillin is converted almost quantitatively to its 6-methoxy derivative by /-C H OCl in methanol (268). Reaction of unsaturated hydroperoxides with /-C H OCl provides monocyclic and bicycHc chloroalkyl 1,2-dioxolanes. 

Physical properties of hexachloroethane are Hsted in Table 11. Hexachloroethane is thermally cracked in the gaseous phase at 400—500°C to give tetrachloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, and chlorine (140). The thermal decomposition may occur by means of radical-chain mechanism involving -C,C1 -C1, or CCl radicals. The decomposition is inhibited by traces of nitric oxide. Powdered 2inc reacts violentiy with hexachloroethane in alcohoHc solutions to give the metal chloride and tetrachloroethylene aluminum gives a less violent reaction (141). Hexachloroethane is unreactive with aqueous alkali and acid at moderate temperatures. However, when heated with soHd caustic above 200°C or with alcohoHc alkaHs at 100°C, decomposition to oxaHc acid takes place. 

The oxidation of hydrocarbons, including hydrocarbon polymers, takes the form of a free-radical chain reaction. As a result of mechanical shearing, exposure of ultraviolet radiation, attack by metal ions such as those of copper and manganese as well as other possible mechanisms, a hydrocarbon molecule breaks down into two radicals... 

Free-radical chain inhibitors are of considerable economic importance. The term antioxidant is commonly appUed to inhibitors that retard the free-radical chain oxidations, termed autoxidations, that can cause relatively rapid deterioration of many commercial materials derived from organic molecules, including foodstuffs, petroleum products, and plastics. The chain mechanism for autoxidation of hydrocarbons is ... 

Free-radical chain oxidation of organic molecules by molecular oxygen is often referred to as autoxidation (see Section 12.2.1). The general mechanism is outlined below. 

Note, Added in Proof-. In their study of the autoxidation of 2-butyl-isoindoline, Kochi and Singleton showed that 2-butylisoindole is formed and is converted by further oxidation to 2-butylphthalimide and 2-butylphthalimidine. The rate of oxidation of 2-butylisoindoline to the isoindole was found to be markedly dependent on hydrogen donor ability of the solvent and was shoivn to involve a free radical chain process. Autoxidation of 2-butylisoindole also appears to be a radical process since it can initiate autoxidation of 2-butylisoindoline. 

Bateman, Gee, Barnard, and others at the British Rubber Producers Research Association [6,7] developed a free radical chain reaction mechanism to explain the autoxidation of rubber which was later extended to other polymers and hydrocarbon compounds of technological importance [8,9]. Scheme 1 gives the main steps of the free radical chain reaction process involved in polymer oxidation and highlights the important role of hydroperoxides in the autoinitiation reaction, reaction lb and Ic. For most polymers, reaction le is rate determining and hence at normal oxygen pressures, the concentration of peroxyl radical (ROO ) is maximum and termination is favoured by reactions of ROO reactions If and Ig. 

Scheme 1 Free radical chain process involved in polymer oxidation.

It has been suggested that the initial formation of iodine on addition of iodide to a diazonium salt solution is caused by oxidation of the iodide by excess nitrite from the preceding diazotization. Packer and Taylor (1985) demonstrated that, if urea was added as a nitrite scavenger (see Sec. 2.1) to a diazotization solution, that solution produced iodine much more rapidly than a portion of the same diazonium salt solution not containing urea, but eventually the latter reaction too appeared to follow the same course. This confirms the role of excess nitrite, and suggests that the iodo-de-diazoniation steps only occur in the presence of iodine or triiodide (I -). The same authors also found that iodo-de-diazoniation is much slower under nitrogen. All these observations are consistent with radical-chain processes, but not with a heterolytic iodo-de-diazoniation. 

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