Radicals and ESR

ESR spectroscopy is perhaps the best method for the unequivocal detection and observation of free radicals, and ESR 13C hyperfine splitting (hfs) constants are considered to be a very useful indicator of a radical s geometry because non-planarity introduces s character into the orbital that contains the unpaired electron. The methyl radical s 13Ca value of 38 G is consistent with a planar structure. Fluoromethyl radicals exhibit increased 13Ca values, as shown in Table 1, thus indicating increasing non-planarity, with trifluoromethyl radical s value of 272 G lying close to that expected for its sp3 hybridization [4]. 

Because of the sensitivity and selectivity of the ESR approach, it is a powerful method for studying free radicals in low concentrations in complex systems. ESR can be helpful in two ways to characterize and structurally identify radical intermediates and to obtain information on the kinetics and mechanisms of their reactions. These reactions can be very fast one of the main differences between ESR of biological free radicals and ESR of spin labels and metal ions is that in the former case one generally is dealing with transient paramagnetic species. 

Since the authors did not succeed in obtaining an ESR spectrum, they were unable to decide whether the IV-pyrazolyl radical is of the a (112a) or the v (112b) type. Ab initio calculations indicate that the radical has Bi (rr) symmetry (76T1555). However, the radical is formed from (111) as a cr radical and is able to react as such in its lifetime. This is in agreement with the experimental results (75JOC915), no C-phenylated pyrazoles being detected. 

The polarographic half-wave reduction potential of 4-nitroisothiazole is -0.45 V (pH 7, vs. saturated calomel electrode). This potential is related to the electron affinity of the molecule and it provides a measure of the energy of the LUMO. Pulse radiolysis and ESR studies have been carried out on the radical anions arising from one-electron reduction of 4-nitroisothiazole and other nitro-heterocycles (76MI41704). 

Through radical trapping and ESR spectrum the same radical, i.e., A/-methyl-p-toluidine methyl radical, as in the BPO-DMT system was verified but with a weakened signal. Therefore, the above result favored our formerly proposed mechanism as follows ... 

The spin adducts of free radicals and MNP or DMPO were observed by means of an ESR spectrometer. The data of hyperfine splitting constants were compiled in Tables 9 and 10 [40-42,44,45]. ESR studies on the initial free radicals revealed that the monoalkylamino radical RHN-, dialkylamino radical R2N-, and aminomethyl radical -CH2N< or aminoethylidene radical >N( CHCH3) were obtained from the corresponding primary, secondary, and cyclic tertiary amine. In case of a tertiary diamine such as TMEDA, formation of... 

Photopolymerization of MMA was also carried out in the presence of visible light (440 nm) using /3-PCPY as the photoinitiator at 30°C [20]. The initiator and monomer exponent values were calculated as 0.5 and 1.0, respectively, showing ideal kinetics. An average value of kp /kt was 4.07 x 10 L-mol -s . Kinetic data and ESR studies indicated that the overall polymerization takes place by a radical mechanism via triplet carbene formation, which acts as the sources of the initiating radical. 

The initial radicals formed from the reaction of Ce(IV) ion and reductant systems can be trapped by MNP. The spin adducts of the initial radicals and MNP were observed by means of an ESR spectrometer. The structure of the initial radicals and the hypeiTme splitting constants of the spin adduct of the radical with MNP and tt-phenyl-N-/er/-butylnitrone (PBN) are compiled in Tables 5 and 6, respectively. 

Based on the ESR studies of Ce(IV) ion-BzyAcAc-MNP, Ce(IV) ion BzAc-MNP systems as mentioned before, the grafting reaction of P(St-CH2-AcAc) will take place on the methene carbon of 1,3-dikeone via the abstraction of hydrogen by the Ce(I V) ion to form radicals and then initiate monomer graft copolymerization. The initiation mechanism of graft copolymerization is proposed in Scheme (10). 

Morkovnik et al. (1989) found experimentally that the addition of an equimolar amount of 4-morpholino- or 4-dimethylaminoaniline to a suspension of nitrosyl perchlorate in 100 % acetic acid, dioxan, or acetonitrile yields a mixture of the diazonium perchlorate and the perchlorate salt of the amine radical cation, with liberation of gaseous nitric oxide. Analogous results in benzene, including evidence for radicals by ESR spectroscopy and by spin trapping experiments, were obtained by Reszka et al. (1990). 

Trofimov and coworkers19 studied the yields of the radicals by ESR in the radiolysis at 100-110 K of diphenyl sulfoxide and tetramethylene sulfoxide. They found for tetramethy-lene sulfoxide a higher yield of radicals (G = 1.8) than for tetramethylene sulfide (G = 0.45). 

The reaction of OH radicals with dimethyl sulfoxide in aqueous solution was studied already in 1964 by Norman and coworkers37 38. They used the system T1m-H202 to produce OH radicals and using ESR/rapid mixing techniques they were able to demonstrate elimination of a methyl radical during the OH induced oxidation. Further studies showed the formation of sulfmic radicals in this reaction either directly or by spin trapping experiments39-44. 

This review is concerned with the formation of cation radicals and anion radicals from sulfoxides and sulfones. First the clear-cut evidence for this formation is summarized (ESR spectroscopy, pulse radiolysis in particular) followed by a discussion of the mechanisms of reactions with chemical oxidants and reductants in which such intermediates are proposed. In this section, the reactions of a-sulfonyl and oc-sulfinyl carbanions in which the electron transfer process has been proposed are also dealt with. The last section describes photochemical reactions involving anion and cation radicals of sulfoxides and sulfones. The electrochemistry of this class of compounds is covered in the chapter written by Simonet1 and is not discussed here some electrochemical data will however be used during the discussion of mechanisms (some reduction potential values are given in Table 1). 

Detection of an Intermediate. In many cases, an intermediate cannot be isolated but can be detected by IR, NMR, or other spectra. The detection by Raman spectra of NOj was regarded as strong evidence that this is an intermediate in the nitration of benzene (see 11-2). Free radical and triplet intermediates can often be detected by ESR and by CIDNP (see Chapter 5). Free radicals [as well as radical ions and EDA complexes] can also be detected by a method that does not rely on spectra. In this method, a doublebond compound is added to the reaction mixture, and its fate traced. One possible result is cis-trans conversion. For example, cis-stilbene is isomerized to the trans isomer in the presence of RS- radicals, by this mechanism ... 

Figure 1. Apparatus for the preparation of radical anions (11). On connection of the entire vessel to the vacuum system, traces of water and oxygen on the wall are removed by heating and discharging with a tesla coil. When the apparatus is filled with purified nitrogen through A, the weighed sample of the hydrocarbon is put into B through C, a piece of sodium is put into D, and dimethoxyethane is distilled into E, where a small amount of an Na-K alloy is added. After the system is again evacuated the solvent is distilled from E into B, the bulb E is,sealed off at F, and the sodium is sublimed to form a mirror on the wall of the bulb G. After tubes at C and H are sealed off, the apparatus is pumped to high vacuum for 1 hr and then sealed off at J. Then the solution of the hydrocarbon is poured from B into G. After a time varying from several minutes to several hours, a color is observed, and the sample is ready for optical and esr measurements.

These methods can give us useful information on radicals in a manner similar to that for closed-shell systems, provided the exploitation is correct. Of course, in expressions for total energy, bond orders, etc., a singly occupied orbital must be taken into account. One should be aware of areas where the simple methods give qualitatively incorrect pictures. The HMO method, for example, cannot estimate negative spin densities or disproportionation equilibria. On the other hand, esr spectra of thousands of radicals and radical ions have been interpreted successfully with HMO. On the basis of HMO orbital energies and MO symmetry... 

The reaction of eq. 16.9 will regenerate the antioxidant Arj-OH at the expense of the antioxidant At2-OH. Despite the fact that such regeneration reactions are not simple electron transfer reactions, the rate of reactions like that of eq. 16.9 has been correlated with the E values for the respective Ar-0. Thermodynamic and kinetic effects have not been clearly separated for such hierarchies, but for a number of flavonoids the following pecking order was established in dimethyl formamid (DMF) by a combination of electrolysis for generating the a-tocopherol and the flavonoid phenoxyl radicals and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy for detection of these radicals (Jorgensen et al, 1999) ... 

JORGENSEN L V, MADSEN H L, THOMSEN M K, DRAGSTED L o and SKIBSTED L H (1999) Regeneration of phenolic antioxidants from pheroxyl radicals. An ESR and electrochemical study of antioxidant hierarachy, Free Rad Res, 28, 207-20. 

Lyons and coworkers studied the ESR spectra of bakelite polysulfone [—CgH4— O—CgH4—SO2—CgH4—O—CgH4—C(CH3)2—] y-irradiated at 77 K and found features characteristic of at least four radicals, the cyclohexadienyl radical, formed from addition to the aromatic ring, methylene groups (— CH2) formed from H abstraction from the methyl group, phenoxy radicals and peroxy radicals. 

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