Radicals, alkoxyl

In contrast to aminyl radicals, alkoxyl (and acyloxy) radicals are highly reactive. As illustrated in equation (7), their cyclization reactions are extremely rapid and irreversible. However, the rapidity of such cyclizations does not guarantee success because alkoxyl radicals are also reactive in inter- and intramolecular hydrogen abstractions, and -fragmentations (see Section 4.2.S.2). This lack of selectivity may limit the use of alkoxyl radicals in cyclizations, but S-exo cyclizations are so rapid that they should succeed in many cases, and other types of cyclizations may also be possible. 

Hydrogen peroxide can be replaced in these reactions by a fatty acid hydroperoxide (ROOH). Then, instead of hydroxyl radicals, alkoxyl radicals (RO ) are formed. 

It is usually postulated that the final product in the accepted mechanism, the alkoxyl radical (4), cleaves (eqs. 14 and 15) before or after hydrogen abstraction, and that this accounts for the drop in molecular weight of the... 

Aromatic ethers and furans undergo alkoxylation by addition upon electrolysis in an alcohol containing a suitable electrolyte.Other compounds such as aromatic hydrocarbons, alkenes, A -alkyl amides, and ethers lead to alkoxylated products by substitution. Two mechanisms for these electrochemical alkoxylations are currently discussed. The first one consists of direct oxidation of the substrate to give the radical cation which reacts with the alcohol, followed by reoxidation of the intermediate radical and either alcoholysis or elimination of a proton to the final product. In the second mechanism the primary step is the oxidation of the alcoholate to give an alkoxyl radical which then reacts with the substrate, the consequent steps then being the same as above. The formation of quinone acetals in particular seems to proceed via the second mechanism. ... 

The excited carbonyl groups have radical character at both carbon and oxygen, and the oxygen is rather similar in its reactivity to alkoxyl radicals. The MO diagrams for the n-n and 7t-7t states can be readily depicted ... 

Oxaziranes derived from isobutyraldehyde react with ferrous salts to give only substituted formamides fEq. (23)], The chain propagating radical 30 thus suffers fission with elimination of the isopropyl group. An H-transfer would lead to substituted butyramides, which are not found. Here is seen a parallel to the fragmentation of alkoxyl radicals, where the elimination of an alkyl group is also favored over hydrogen. The formulation of the oxazirane fission by a radical mechanism is thus supported. 

PD—S) to yield phosphates and alcohols, see Scheme 5 reaction a. Sterically hindered aryl phosphites (e.g., AO 14) have an additional chain breaking activity, i.e. they react with peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals during their function as antioxidants (reactions 5b and 5c) [18]. 

Cyclic ethers were also obtained by cyclization of alkoxyl radicals, generated in a radical chain reaction by reacting the thione 42 with (TMSfsSiH under photochemical conditions at 20 °C (Reaction 46). Regioselectivities of cyclization have been investigated and a progressive increase of the 6-endo-trig selectivity along the series R2 = H[Pg.140]

Whereas bromine radicals (133) and succinimidyl radicals (134) react by the Sh2 mechanism at the tin center in tetraalkyltins, but not in alkyltin halides, alkoxyl radicals (135) and ketone triplets (136) react with alkyltin halides, but not tetraalkyltins this may reflect the conflicting, electronic demands of the radical reagents which, as electrophilic species, should be more reactive towards tetraalkyltins than alkyltin halides, but which would also tend to make use of a 5d orbital... 

The trapping of alkyl, alkoxyl and alkylthiyl radicals by trivalent phosphorus compounds, followed by either a-scission or p-scission of the ensuing phosphoranyl radical, is a powerful tool for preparation of new trivalent or pen-tavalent phosphorus compounds [59]. However, the products of these reactions strongly depend on the BDE of the bonds, which are either formed or cleaved. For example, the addition of phenyl radicals on a three-coordinate phosphorus molecule occurs irreversibly, while that of dimethylaminyl (Me2N ) or methyl radicals is reversible, the amount of subsequent P-scission (formation of compound C) depending on the nature of Z and R (Scheme 25). For tertiary alkyl radicals and stabilized alkyl radicals no addition is observed (Scheme 25) [63]. 

Scheme 27 Trimethyl phosphite as alkoxyl radical scavenger to characterize C-0 vs C-C fragmentation for oxyranylcarbinyl radicals. Reprinted with permission from [64]. Copyright 2003 American Chemical Society...

This type of fission has been observed in a detailed examination of the oxidation of tertiary alcohols by Co(ril). The kinetics are similar to those reported for cyclohexanol vide supra) although the rate is about 40 times less. The possibility of alkoxyl radical formation seems attractive, for Co(III) is known to oxidise... 

Product studies show (i) that the ease of elimination of Rp from R1R2R3COH depends on the relative stabilities of Rp, R2 and R3- and (//) that Rp can be eliminated from RjRjHCOH, i.e. that secondary alcohols can undergo a measure of C-C fission via an alkoxyl radical. The extent of C-C fission increases when RjRjDCOH is employed, but the h/ d values for several alcohols do not accord with the observed products . This paradox has been discussed at length . 

Fig. 16.4 Interaction between quercetin (Quer) and iron and the balance between pro-oxidative and antioxidative effects. Quercetin may reduce Fe(H20) to yield Fe(H20) active in the Fenton region forming hydroxyl radicals ( OFI) or alkoxyl radicals ( OR), in effect being pro-oxidative. In contrast, quercetin may form a complex with iron(II), inactive in reducing FI2O2 to OFI, but rather oxidised in the quercetin ligand, in effect being antioxidative. Quer (-H) is the phenoxyl radical.

The accumulation of hydroperoxides and their subsequent decomposition to alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals can accelerate the chain reaction of polyunsaturated fatty-acid p>eroxidation leading to oxidative damage to cells and membranes as well as lipoproteins. It is well-recognized that transition metals or haem proteins, through their... 

Injury to cells and tissues may enhance the toxicity of the active oxygen species by releasing intracellular transition metal ions (such as iron) into the surrounding tissue from storage sites, decompartmentalized haem proteins, or metalloproteins by interaction with delocalized proteases or oxidants. Such delocalized iron and haem proteins have the capacity to decompose peroxide to peroxyl and alkoxyl radicals, exacerbating the initial lesion. 

Thus the alkoxyl radical formed is susceptible to interaction with polyunsaturated fatty acid chains, effettively reinitiating further damage, or interaction with a... 

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