Ozone scavenging

Environmental Impact of Ambient Ozone. Ozone can be toxic to plants, animals, and fish. The lethal dose, LD q, for albino mice is 3.8 ppmv for a 4-h exposure (156) the 96-h LC q for striped bass, channel catfish, and rainbow trout is 80, 30, and 9.3 ppb, respectively. Small, natural, and anthropogenic atmospheric ozone concentrations can increase the weathering and aging of materials such as plastics, paint, textiles, and mbber. For example, mbber is degraded by reaction of ozone with carbon—carbon double bonds of the mbber polymer, requiring the addition of aromatic amines as ozone scavengers (see Antioxidants Antiozonants). An ozone decomposing polymer (noXon) has been developed that destroys ozone in air or water (157). 

The scavenging mechanism states that antiozonants function by migrating towards the surface of the rubber and, due to their exceptional reactivity towards ozone, scavenge the ozone before it can react with the rubber [60]. The scavenging mechanism is based on the fact that all antiozonants react much more rapidly with ozone than do the double bonds of the rubber molecules. This fact distinguishes antiozonants from antioxidants. 

Calogirou, A., M. Duane, D. Kotzias, M. Lahaniati, and B. R. Larsen, Polyphenylenesulfide, Noxon, an Ozone Scavenger for the Analysis of Oxygenated Terpenes in Air, Atmos. Environ., 31, 2741-2751 (1997). 

Disharmonies in the Conception of the Direct 0 /Antiozonant Reaction Importance. Four antiozonant theories have been formulated within the last 25 years. Ozone scavenging theory suggests a preferential direct reaction of an antiozonant with ozone on the rubber surface as a decisive process (26-27). As the antiozonant is depleted via direct ozonation on the surface, fresh antiozonant diffuses rapidly from the rubber bulk to reestablish the equilibrium surface concentration. At a comparable additive concentration and migration rate, the antiozonant efficiency of an additive should be therefore dependent on its ozonation rate and the vulcanizate will be protected until the antiozonant is depleted below the lowest critical concentration. From this point of view, the ozonation rate seems to be a more important factor than the total amount of ozone scavenged by one mole of an antiozonant (this latter phenomenon may be called ozonation factor). Relations between antiozonant efficiency in vulcanizate and antiozonant ozonation rate or antiozonant surface concentration have been indeed reported in some papers and an appreciable higher ozonation rate of PD in comparison with rubber unsaturation, a preferential consumption of an antiozonant in model olefin solution or in rubber were observed. The rubber surface was not attacked by ozone until the antiozonant was almost completely consumed (28). ... 

In spite of many objections, ozone scavenger and protective film theories cannot be neglected because of serious experimental evidence. They should be considered as an important part of the overall antiozonant mechanism. Their role prevails in rubber solution or in very thin rubber films. It is very probable that a part of an antiozonant is wastefully depleted just because of direct ozonation. 

Formation of the protective film from ozonized rubber and AOZ creates a barrier against penetration of 03 into rubber [3,4]. Reactions of AOZ with ozonides 3, zwitterions 4 and aldehydic fragments 8 are envisaged. The respective reactivities are lower than the direct ozonation and the relevant contribution to the antiozonant mechanism is therefore inferior to the ozone scavenging. The reactivity of the ozonized rubber with AOZ accounts for rubber chain repairing, classified also as chain relinking or selfhealing mechanisms [4,21,247-249]. This contributes to formation of relaxed surface films. 

Diene-type rubbers are particularly sensitive to ozone attack and should be protected by antiozonants. Common antiozonants are aromatic diamines capable of direct ozone scavenging by adduct formation. 

The two main termination steps for neutral solutions are HO + HO — H2O2 + 2 O3 and HO + HO3 — H2O2 + O3 + O2. An alternative mechanism has been proposed that does not involve HO and HO but has a different initiation step (26). Three ozone molecules are destroyed for each primary event. In the presence of excess HO radical scavengers, ie, bicarbonate, the pseudo-first-order rate constant at 20°C for the initiation step is 175 X. This yields an ozone half-hfe of 66 min at pH 8. In distilled water = 50 mmol/L), the half-hfe is significantly lower, ie, 7 min. 

The rate of aqueous ozonation reactions is affected by various factors such as the pH, temperature, and concentration of ozone, substrate, and radical scavengers. Kinetic measurements have been carried out in dilute aqueous solution on a large number of organic compounds from different classes (56,57). Some of the chemistry discussed in the foUowing sections occurs more readily at high ozone and high substrate concentrations. 

Several theories have appeared in the Hterature regarding the mechanism of protection by -PDA antiozonants. The scavenger theory states that the antiozonant diffuses to the surface and preferentially reacts with ozone, with the result that the mbber is not attacked until the antiozonant is exhausted (25,28,29). The protective film theory is similar, except that the ozone—antiozonant reaction products form a film on the surface that prevents attack (28). The relinking theory states that the antiozonant prevents scission of the ozonized mbber or recombines severed double bonds (14). A fourth theory states that the antiozonant reacts with the ozonized mbber or carbonyl oxide (3) in Pig. 1) to give a low molecular weight, inert self-healing film on the surface (3). 

The hterature suggests that more than one mechanism may be operative for a given antiozonant, and that different mechanisms may be appHcable to different types of antiozonants. All of the evidence, however, indicates that the scavenger mechanism is the most important. All antiozonants react with ozone at a much higher rate than does the mbber which they protect. The extremely high reactivity with ozone of/)-phenylenediamines, compared to other amines, is best explained by their unique abiUty to react ftee-tadicaHy. The chemistry of ozone—/)-PDA reactions is known in some detail (30,31). The first step is beheved to be the formation of an ozone—/)-PDA adduct (32), or in some cases a radical ion. Pour competing fates for dissociation of the initial adduct have been described amine oxide formation, side-chain oxidation, nitroxide radical formation, and amino radical formation. 

The relinking (14) and self-healing film (3) theories require chemical interaction between the antiozonant and ozonized mbber. The evidence for these interactions is meager (35,36). Overall, there seems to be no clear evidence in the Hterature for PDA derivatives becoming attached to mbber chains as a result of ozone attack. Much fundamental work in this area remains to be done, however. It seems clear at this point that any antiozonant—mbber interaction must be much less important than the scavenging effect of the antiozonant. In summary, the scavenger model is beheved to be the principal mechanism of antiozonant action. Ozone—antiozonant reaction products form a surface film that provides additional protection (37). 

Since this bloom is brittle, it is broken by flexing. Therefore, waxes only protect under static conditions. For serving conditions which involve continuous flexing, /j-phenylenediamines (A, A -alkyl-aryl derivatives) can be added. These chemical antiozonants scavenge the ozone before it reacts with the rubber. A barrier of ozonized products is created which protects both the rubber and antiozonant from further attack. However, p-phenylenediamines are staining compounds. Whenever colour is an important concern, blends of elastomers can be used elastomers loading should be higher than 30 phr to provide sufficient effectiveness. 

Reactions 5 and 6 constitute a catalytic cycle because the radical NO that attacks O3 is regenerated by the reaction of NO2 with an O-atom. The net effect is the removal of one O3 molecule and one O-atom. Thus, although the concentration of NO and NO2 (or NOx) in the stratosphere is small, each NO molecule can destroy thousands of ozone molecules before being scavenged by a reaction such as the following ... 

HO-oxidation of an individual NMHCj produces H02 radicals with a yield aj, and oxidation of the NMHC oxidation product produces H02 in stoichiometric amount The lumped coefficients or yields a and p need not be integers, and represent the effectiveness of a particular NMHCj in producing RO2. and H02 radicals (lumped together as HO2) that will then oxidize NO. to N02 in processes such as R6 and R13, producing one net ozone molecule each. Alternatively, when the NO. concentration is low, peroxyl radicals may form PAN (as in R22) or hydrogen peroxide (as in R33) which are other oxidant species. In this formulation, transport is expressed by an overall dilution rate of the polluted air mass into unpolluted air with a rate constant (units = reciprocal time dilution lifetime=1// ). This rate constant includes scavenging processes such as precipitation removal as well as mixing with clean air. 

Chemical antiozonants have been developed to protect rubber against ozone under such dynamic conditions. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how chemical antiozonants protect rubber. The scavenging mechanism, the protective film mechanism, or a combination of both are nowadays the most accepted mechanisms. 

The most effective antiozonants are the substituted PPDs. Their mechanism of protection against ozone is based on the scavenger-protective film mechanism [68-70]. The reaction of ozone with the antiozonant is much faster than the reaction with the C=C bond of the rubber on the rubber surface [56]. The rubber is protected from the ozone attack tUl the surface antiozonant is depleted. As the antiozonant is continuously consumed through its reaction with ozone at the mbber surface, diffusion of the antiozonant from the inner parts to the surface replenishes the surface concentration to provide the continuous protection against ozone. A thin flexible film developed from the antiozonant/ozone reaction products on the mbber surface also offers protection. 

The kinetics of the various reactions have been explored in detail using large-volume chambers that can be used to simulate reactions in the troposphere. They have frequently used hydroxyl radicals formed by photolysis of methyl (or ethyl) nitrite, with the addition of NO to inhibit photolysis of NO2. This would result in the formation of 0( P) atoms, and subsequent reaction with Oj would produce ozone, and hence NO3 radicals from NOj. Nitrate radicals are produced by the thermal decomposition of NjOj, and in experiments with O3, a scavenger for hydroxyl radicals is added. Details of the different experimental procedures for the measurement of absolute and relative rates have been summarized, and attention drawn to the often considerable spread of values for experiments carried out at room temperature (-298 K) (Atkinson 1986). It should be emphasized that in the real troposphere, both the rates—and possibly the products—of transformation will be determined by seasonal differences both in temperature and the intensity of solar radiation. These are determined both by latitude and altitude. 

Grosjean, D., Grosjean, E., Williams, II, E.L. (1994) Atmospheric chemistry of olefins A product study of the ozone — alkene reaction with cyclohexane added to scavenge OH. Environ. Sci. Technol. 26, 186-196. 

Ozone also reacts with ethane in the gas phase at room temperature. Rather than a direct molecular reaction, however, evidence points to the initiation of radical-chain reactions by the very small O-atom concentrations present in ozone at room temperature. Added oxygen scavenges the radicals and slows the build-up, leading to induction periods which may be in excess of 3 h. Recent advances in mechanistic investigations of gas-phase ozonolysis of alkanes have been reviewed. Oligomeric peroxides dominate the products of oxidation of nitrotoluenes with ozone in acetic acid. °... 

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