Oxidation reactions free radical chain reaction

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... 

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. 

H2O may be replaced by any acid, HA, and a cyclic mechanism for the breakdown of the ester is quite feasible. For oxidation in alkali the fractional order in hydroxide ion, the low kjkjy and low degree of oxygen-transfer from oxidant are taken as symptomatic of a free-radical chain reaction of the type... 

Fires inside wood-packed benzene scrubbers in coke oven gas plants were attributed to saturation of the wood with naphthalene, and vapour-phase oxidation of the latter to phthalic anhydride, which participates in exothermic free radical chain reactions. 

In addition to oxidation, many other reactions occur as free radical chain reactions polymerization, decomposition, fluorination, chlorination, etc. All chain reactions have a few important general peculiarities [1—3]. 

On the other hand, several ROS are highly cytotoxic. Consequently, eukaryotic cells have developed an elaborate arsenal of antioxidant mechanisms to neutrahze their deleterious effects (enzymes such as superoxide dismutases, catalases, glutathione peroxidases, thioredoxin inhibitors of free-radical chain reaction such as tocopherol, carotenoids, ascorbic acid chelating proteins such as lactoferrin and transferrin). It can be postulated that ROS may induce an oxidative stress leading to cell death when the level of intracellular ROS exceeds an undefined threshold. Indeed, numerous observations have shown that ROS are mediators of cell death, particularly apoptosis (Maziere et al., 2000 Girotti, 1998 Kinscherf et al., 1998 Suzuki et al., 1997 Buttke and Sanstrom, 1994 Albina et al., 1993). 

The detailed mechanism for these Co AlPO-18- and Mn ALPO-18-cata-lyzed oxidations are unknown, but as previously pointed out vide supra) and by analogy to other metal-mediated oxidations a free-radical chain auto-oxidation (a type IIaRH reaction) is anticipated [63], This speculation is supported by several experimental observations that include (1) an induction period for product formation in the oxidation of n-hexane in CoAlPO-36, (2) the reduction of the induction period by the addition of free-radical initiators, (3) the ability to inhibit the reaction with addition of free-radical scavengers, and (4) the direct observation of cyclohexyl hydroperoxide in the oxidation of cyclohexane [62],... 

Combustion processes are fast and exothermic reactions that proceed by free-radical chain reactions. Combustion processes release large amounts of energy, and they have many applications in the production of power and heat and in incineration. These processes combine many of the complexities of the previous chapters complex kinetics, mass transfer control, and large temperature variations. They also frequently involve multiple phases because the oxidant is usually air while fuels are frequently liquids or solids such as coal, wood, and oil drops. 

Over time, oxygen will react with fuel components to degrade the fuel into a viscous, sludgelike mass. Fuel components most susceptible to oxidation are olefins and alicyclic naphthenes. Paraffins and aromatics are less susceptible to attack but can eventually be consumed by the free-radical chain reaction process. 

Co-oxidation of indene and thiophenol in benzene solution is a free-radical chain reaction involving a three-step propagation cycle. Autocatalysis is associated with decomposition of the primary hydroperoxide product, but the system exhibits extreme sensitivity to catalysis by impurities, particularly iron. The powerful catalytic activity of N,N -di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine is attributed on ESR evidence to the production of radicals, probably >NO-, and replacement of the three-step propagation by a faster four-step cycle involving R-, RCV, >NO, and RS- radicals. Added iron complexes produce various effects depending on their composition. Some cause a fast initial reaction followed by a strong retardation, then re-acceleration and final decay as reactants are consumed. Kinetic schemes that demonstrate this behavior but are not entirely satisfactory in detail are discussed. 

The co-oxidation of indene and thiophenol in benzene proceeds by a three-step cyclic free radical chain reaction. Autocatalysis associated with the hydroperoxide which is the main primary product occurs, but the effect is complicated by other trace components. The reaction is extremely sensitive to catalysts and inhibitors, and its kinetic features are determined by the initiation and termination processes. 

Two free-radical chain reactions, in addition to the ionic enolate mechanism, seem reasonable for the oxidation of the sugars by oxygen. With an aldose-2-f one of the free-radical mechanisms would yield non-labeled formic acid and the next lower aldonic acid the other would yield labeled formic acid and the same aldonic acid. 

For a mechanistic interpretation of the EPR data, one must keep the possibility in mind that the reducing C(5)-adduct radical may have been oxidized by peroxo-diphosphate in the free-radical chain reaction (see below) and that only the oxidizing C(6)-adduct radical remains in this sequence of reactions, although formed in small amounts, and is eventually detected by EPR as the only radi-... 

The first example of a free-radical chain reaction successfully conducted in sc C02, which demonstrated the potential of this solvent for preparative scale chemistry, was a report from the McHugh group (Suppes et al., 1989) dealing with the oxidation of cumene (eq. 4.4). The propagation steps for this reaction are depicted in Scheme 4.11. Pressure (and thus viscosity) had little effect on the initiation, propagation, or termination rate constants. No unusual kinetic behavior was observed near the critical point. 

The foods can be protected against lipid oxidation either by the addition of antioxidants or by packaging in vacuum or inert gases to exclude oxygen. The antioxidants can be of various types. They can work as "chain-breakers" that interfere with the free radical chain reaction, as "metal inactivators", that bind otherwise pro-oxidative metals, or as "peroxide destroyers", which react with hydroperoxides to give stable products by nonradical processes (1). 

Liochev, S. and I. Fridovich. 1986. The vanadate-stimulated oxidation of NAD(P)H by biomembranes is a superoxide initiated free radical chain reaction. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 250 139-145. 

The basic mechanism of autoxidation at elevated temperatures is similar to that of room-temperature oxidation, i.e., a free radical chain reaction involving the formation and decomposition of hydroperoxide intermediates. Although relative proportions of the isomeric hydroperoxides, specific for oleate, linoleate and linolenate, vary with oxidation temperatures in the range 25°C -80°C, their qualitative pattern is the same (. Likewise, the major decomposition products isolated from fats oxidized over wide temperature ranges are those reflecting autoxidation of their constituent fatty acids (2 -6). The mechanisms and products of lipid oxidation have been extensively studied. The reader is referred to the numerous monographs, reviews and research articles available in the literature (1,A,7,8,9,10,11). 

Soluble Co compounds are generally employed in the autoxidation of hydrocarbons, i.e., the oxidation with O2 as the oxidant. In neat hydrocarbons, low concentrations of Co compounds accelerate the autoxidation since the Co2+/Co3+ couple is excellent for decomposing alkyl hydroperoxides and thus initiates free radical chain reactions. However, at high conversions, the Co may be deactivated by formation of insoluble clusters with side products of the hydrocarbon autoxidation. Moreover, high concentrations of a Co compound may actually inhibit the reaction because Co also terminates radical chains by reaction with ROO radicals ... 

The large group of inhibitors of free radical chain reactions are frequently used in combination with metal salts or organometallic stabilizers. They are amines, sulfur- or phosphorus-containing compounds, phenols, alcohols, or chelates. Aromatic phosphites at about 1 p.p.r. chelate have undesirable metal impurities and inhibit oxidative free radical reactions. Some of the more popular are pentaerythritol, sorbitol, melamine, dicyan-diamide, and benzoguanamine. Their synergistic effect is utilized in vinyl floors where low cost is imperative. 

On the other hand, unsaturated lipids may act as secondary mediators of the MnP/Mn system, in a mechanism known as lipid peroxidation, which is a free radical chain-reaction proceeding via the oxidation of unsaturated lipids [32, 33]. Thiols may also undergo oxidation by MnP/Mn and produce thiyl radicals, which in turn mediate in the oxidation of a variety of compounds [34]. 

In general, free radical chain reactions proceed with a very low overall activation energy (Waters, 1971). However, in foods, such as butter, the rate of oxidation may be as much a feature of their microscopic structure which affects diffusion of oxygen, as of their chemical composition. 

The oxidative mechanisms and pathways for CHOL oxidation are reasonably well documented and are considered to involve a series of free radical chain reactions similar to that for fatty acid oxidation. However, the kinetics of CHOL oxidation has received little attention until recently. Chien et al. (1998) defined the major pathways (Figure 18.7) and calculated the rate constants for these reactions (Table 18.2). The reaction can be divided into... 

These condensations, like the oxidative coupling of phenols, presumably are free radical chain reactions with aryloxy radicals as intermediates, but the gross features of the two types of reactions are quite different. At low extents of oxidation the oxidative coupling reaction... 

A similar kinetic expression was found by Hong et al. [132] for the catalytic, photochemical oxidation of S(IV) on Ti02. In this case, for k < 385 nm, quantum yields in excess of unity (e.g., 0.5 < free-radical chain reactions (i.e., reactions 79 to 84). The observed quantum yields, which ranged between 0.5 and 300, depended on the concentration and nature of free-radical inhibitors present in the heterogeneous suspension. 

Most phenol nowadays is obtained from isopropylbenzene (cumene), which is oxidized by air in the cumene proces.s (Scheme 4.1). Acetone (propanone) is a valuable by-product of the process and this route is a major source of this important solvent. The formation of cumene hydroperoxide proceeds by a free radical chain reaction initiated by the ready generation of the tertiary benzylic cumyl radical, which is a further illustration of the ease of attack at the benzylic position, especially by radicals (see Chapter 3). 

Part of the problem stems from considering lipid oxidation as precisely following classic free radical chain reactions. To be sure, lipids do oxidize by a radical chain mechanism, and they show initiation, propagation, and termination stages... 

CLASSIC FREE RADICAL CHAIN REACTION MECHANISM OF LIPID OXIDATION Initiation (formation of ab initio lipid free radical)... 

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