Rate constant organic radical self-reactions

A characteristic reaction of free radicals is the bimolecular self-reaction which, in many cases, proceeds at the diffusion-controlled limit or close to it, although the reversible coupling of free radicals in solution to yield diamagnetic dimers has been found to be a common feature of several classes of relatively stable organic radicals. Unfortunatly, only the rate constants for self-termination of (CH3)jCSO (6 x 10 M s at 173 K) and (CH3CH2)2NS0 (1.1 X 10 M s at 163K) have been measured up to date by kinetic ESR spectroscopy and consequently not many mechanistic conclusions can be reached. 

The self-exchange electron-transfer (SEET) process, in which a radical is trapped by the parent molecule, has been studied using the intersecting-state model (ISM).91 Absolute rate constants of SEET for a number organic molecules from ISM show a significant improvement over classical Marcus theory92-94 in the ability to predict experimental SEET values. A combination of Marcus theory and the Rips and Jortner approach was applied to the estimation of the amount of charge transferred in the intramolecular ET reactions of isodisubstituted aromatic compounds.95... 

Han P, Bartels DM (1994) Encounters of H and D atoms with 02 in water relative diffusion and reaction rates. In Gauduel Y, Rossky P (eds) AIP conference proceedings 298. "Ultrafast reaction dynamics and solvent effects." AIP Press, New York, 72 pp Hasegawa K, Patterson LK (1978) Pulse radiolysis studies in model lipid systems formation and behavior of peroxy radicals in fatty acids. Photochem Photobiol 28 817-823 Herdener M, Heigold S, Saran M, Bauer G (2000) Target cell-derived superoxide anions cause efficiency and selectivity of intercellular induction of apoptosis. Free Rad Biol Med 29 1260-1271 Hildenbrand K, Schulte-Frohlinde D (1997) Time-resolved EPR studies on the reaction rates of peroxyl radicals of polyfacrylic acid) and of calf thymus DNA with glutathione. Re-examination of a rate constant for DNA. Int J Radiat Biol 71 377-385 Howard JA (1978) Self-reactions of alkylperoxy radicals in solution (1). In Pryor WA(ed) Organic free radicals. ACS Symp Ser 69 413-432... 

So far, the Polanyi relation has been applied only to catalytic sequences with free radicals as intermediates. But its scope is much wider. Many organic reactions in the liquid phase proceed through ionic intermediates and arc catalyzed by acids and bases. Before the Polanyi relation is shown to correlate rate constants in acid-base catalysis, it will be put in an equivalent form by a series of self-explanatory steps. The temperature is assumed to be constant. 

To test the applicability of the cross relation to HAT, a set of 17 organic reactions have been compiled in which cross and self-exchange rate constants have all been measured under similar conditions (the self-exchange rate for 9,10-dihydroanthracene (DHA) has been estimated by applying the cross relation).These reactions, indicated with a in Table 1.2, involve oxyl radicals abstracting H from O-H and C-H bonds. The equilibrium constants are either available under the same conditions or have been adjusted using the solvent corrections described below. 

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