Peroxide decomposition, resulting reactions

The peroxomonosulphuric acid so formed is supposed to decompose rapidly to form oxygen at acid concentrations less than or equal to 0.5 M under the experimental conditions used. The result of the oxygen-tracer experiment (O2 from S20 ) resembles observations of hydrogen peroxide decompositions. The reaction does not show inhibition related to the concentration product [H ]... 

Because the reaction takes place in the Hquid, the amount of Hquid held in the contacting vessel is important, as are the Hquid physical properties such as viscosity, density, and surface tension. These properties affect gas bubble size and therefore phase boundary area and diffusion properties for rate considerations. Chemically, the oxidation rate is also dependent on the concentration of the anthrahydroquinone, the actual oxygen concentration in the Hquid, and the system temperature (64). The oxidation reaction is also exothermic, releasing the remaining 45% of the heat of formation from the elements. Temperature can be controUed by the various options described under hydrogenation. Added heat release can result from decomposition of hydrogen peroxide or direct reaction of H2O2 and hydroquinone (HQ) at a catalytic site (eq. 19). 

The thermal decompositions described above are unimolecular reactions that should exhibit first-order kinetics. Under many conditions, peroxides decompose at rates faster than expected for unimolecular thermal decomposition and with more complicated kinetics. This behavior is known as induced decomposition and occurs when part of the peroxide decomposition is the result of bimolecular reactions with radicals present in solution, as illustrated below specifically for diethyl peroxide. 

Ideally all reactions should result from unimolecular homolysis of the relatively weak 0-0 bond. However, unimolecular rearrangement and various forms of induced and non-radical decomposition complicate the kinetics of radical generation and reduce the initiator efficiency.46 Peroxide decomposition induced by radicals and redox chemistry is covered in Sections 3.3.2.1.4 and 3.3.2.1.5 respectively. 

Diacyl peroxides undergo thermal and photochemical decomposition to give radical intermediates (for a recent review, see Hiatt, 1971). Mechanistically the reactions are well understood as a result of the many investigations of products and kinetics of thermal decomposition (reviewed by DeTar, 1967 Cubbon, 1970). Not surprisingly, therefore, one of the earliest reports of CIDNP concerned the thermal decomposition of benzoyl peroxide (Bargon et al., 1967 Bargon and Fischer, 1967) and peroxide decompositions have been used more widely than any other class of reaction in testing theories of the phenomenon. 

Special review articles published since 1968 on these topics are one by E. H. White and D. F. Roswell 2> on hydrazide chemiluminescence M. M. Rauhut 3) on the chemiluminescence of concerted peroxide-decomposition reactions and D. M. Hercules 4 5> on chemiluminescence from electron-transfer reactions. The rapid development in these special fields justifies a further attempt to depict the current status. Results of bioluminescence research will not be included in this article except for a few special cases, e.g. enzyme-catalyzed chemiluminescence of luminol, and firefly bioluminescence 6>. 

This dependence is the result of general occurrence of the homolytic decay of peroxide with the rate constant kd and chain decomposition of peroxide due to reactions with the radical formed from the solvent RH according to the following kinetic scheme ... 

The result of this change in mechanism is that the major products at high temperatures are olefins and hydrogen peroxide and their secondary decomposition products, which of course include water. The relatively unstable alkyl hydroperoxide produced by the low temperature chain is replaced by the much more stable hydrogen peroxide. The result is that the secondary initiation, responsible for the cool flames, is replaced by a much slower initiation—the second-order decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (Reaction 6). 

FT-IR results also showed that one new (small) absorption at 1659 cm"1 appeared, which could not be attributed to peroxide decomposition products. This absorption also appeared when the peroxide-curing experiments were carried out using an amorphous EPM, indicating that the absorption did not relate to rearrangement of the third monomer moiety (ENB in this case). It is tentatively concluded that the absorption at 1659 cm 1 is related to EPDM main-chain modifications, resulting from disproportionation reactions of EPDM macroradicals with BHT radical fragments. 

The catalytic activity of MePc depends on the nature of the ligand in the apical position and should therefore be solvent dependent.[56] From the chromatographic determination of the respective adsorption coefficients of the reaction partners in pre-catalytic conditions, a very pronounced activity difference is found depending on the nature of the solvent used.[64] However, the sequence of the adsorption coefficients is of zeolitic origin and reflects a sorption effect rather than a coordination effect. The respective values of the adsorption coefficients indicate that for the oxidation of alkanes, cyclohexane, with organic peroxide for example, in acetone the oxidant is enriched in the intracrystalline voids, resulting preferentially in peroxide decomposition. In excess cyclohexane, the substrate is enriched in the pores, so that every adsorbed peroxide molecule results in an efficient oxygenation. 

Ferrihydrite catalysis of hydroxyl radical formation from peroxide has also shown experimental results consistent with a surface reaction [57]. The yield of hydroxyl radical formation was lower for ferrihydrite than for dissolved iron, resulting in a higher peroxide demand to degrade a given amount of pollutant. As mentioned above, although ferrihydrite exhibited a faster rate of peroxide decomposition than goethite or hematite, the rate of 2-chlorophenol degradation with these catalysts was fastest for hematite [55], In other studies, quinoline oxidation by peroxide was not observed when ferrihydrite was used as catalyst [53]. 

In non-aqueous solutions the Kolbe electrosynthesis takes place with high eflSciency at platinized platinum and gold, as well as at smooth platinum, anodes increase of temperature and the presence of catalysts for hydrogen peroxide decomposition, both of which have a harmful effect in aqueous solution, have relatively little influence. The mechanism of the reaction is apparently quite different in non-aqueous solutions and aqueous solutions in the former no hydroxyl ions are present, and so neither hydroxyl radicals nor hydrogen peroxide can be formed. It is probable, therefore, that direct discharge of acetate ions occurs at a potential which is almost independent of the nature of the electrode material in a given solvent. The resulting radicals probably combine in pairs, as in aqueous solution, to form acetyl peroxide, which subsequently decomposes as already described. ... 

Reaction (8) and the reverse of Reaction (7) result in hydrogen peroxide decomposition and lower current efficiencies. Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide can also be catalyzed by trace metal ions [72] ... 

There is no evidence in any of the gas phase systems for initial multiple bond rupture (i.e., fragmentation reactions). Because of the low reaction temperatures, the alkoxy radical intermediates of the bond fission reactions (or radicals resulting from alkoxy radicals) are mainly involved in radical-radical termination processes ( 0) rather than participating in hydrogen abstraction from the parent peroxide E oi 6-8). Thus it has been commonly believed that the peroxide decompositions were classic examples of free radical non-chain processes. Identification of the rate coefficients and the overall decomposition Arrhenius parameters with the initial peroxide bond fission kinetics were therefore made. However, recent studies indicate that free radical sensitized decompositions of some peroxides do occur, and that the low Arrhenius parameters obtained in many of the early studies (rates measured by simple manometric techniques) were undoubtedly a result of competitive chain processes. The possible importance of free radical reactions in peroxide decompositions is illustrated below with specific regard to the dimethyl peroxide decomposition. 

This means at least 13 % chain reaction. The above estimate is supported by the results of Leggett and Thynne , who have shown that the diethyl peroxide decomposition, which should be even more susceptible to chain sensitization than diethyl peroxide ( 4 < 4), in the presence of nitric oxide has an activation energy 2 kcal.mole higher than in the uninhibited system. The additional reactions of importance are... 

COF j is a common decomposition product or by-product in many reactions of fluorinated peroxides or trioxides [502,Slla,1833,1866], Decomposition reactions of peroxides which result in COFj formation are described in this Section, in addition to Section 13.7.11. 

Several solvents have been tested in the epoxidation of a- isophorone with t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP). The best performance of the aerogel was observed in low polarity solvents such as ethylbenzene or cumene (Table 1). In these solvents 99 % selectivity related to the olefin converted was obtained at 50 % peroxide conversion, independent of the temperature. Rasing temperature resulted in increasing initial rate and decreasing selectivity related to the peroxide. The low peroxide efficiency is explained by the homol5d ic peroxide decomposition. Protic polar solvents were detrimental to the reaction due to their strong coordination to the active sites. There was no epoxide formation in water. 

It has recently been demonstrated that this reaction could be used for the epoxidation of a broader class of enones and excellent enantioselectivities were obtained provided the enone was substituted at the 3-position [48,49,50]. However, essentially no asymmetric induction was observed with cyclic enones [51]. Further practical improvements in this reaction have recently been made. Roberts found that the use of anhydrous urea-hydrogen peroxide with DBU in THF as a two-phase system (polymer and organic phase) resulted in rapid epoxidation with high levels of asymmetric induction [52]. This modification solves many of the problems associated with the original procedure (oxidant decomposition, long reaction times, work up) and provides a very practical oxidation system (Scheme 17). 

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