Quinone diimines reaction with radicals

Several studies characterizing the reactions of alkenyl radicals with quinone dumines and quino-neimines were published in the late 1970s. Quinone dumines react with allylic radicals yielding both the reduced PPD and the alkylated product. In these experiments 2-methyl-2-pentene served as a model olefin (model for NR). Samples of the olefin and quinoneimines or quinone diimine were heated to 140°C. Isolation and analysis of products demonstrated that 40%-70% of the imine or diimine was reduced to the corresponding PPD, while 20%-50% was isolated as the alkylated product. This alkylation reaction (via an allylic radical) represents the pathway to the formation of rubber-bound antidegradant. ... 

The results of the modeling smdy of the chain transfer chemistry have been published elsewhere. Quinone diimines are predicted to be more than two orders of magnimde more reactive toward free radicals than the corresponding PPD. The reactivity of a radical with another molecule should be related to the Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) energy of that molecule. The reaction of a radical with a PPD differs from the reaction of a radical with QDI. 

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