Tetralin ions, decomposition

Competition between metal ion-induced and radical-induced decompositions of alkyl hydroperoxides is affected by several factors. First, the competition is influenced by the relative concentrations of the metal complex and the hydroperoxide. At high concentrations of the hydroperoxide relative to the metal complex, alkoxy radicals will compete effectively with the metal complex for the hydroperoxide. Competition is also influenced by the nature of the solvent (see above). Contribution from the metal-induced reaction is expected to predominate at low hydroperoxide concentrations and in reactive solvents. The contribution from the metal-induced decomposition to the overall reaction is readily determined by carrying out the reaction in the presence of free radical inhibitors, such as phenols, that trap the alkoxy radicals and, hence, prevent radical-induced decomposition.129,1303 Thus, Kamiya etal.129 showed that the initial rate of the cobalt-catalyzed decomposition of tetralin hydroperoxide, when corrected for the contribution from radical-induced decomposition by the... 

A complete mechanism for the autoxidation of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons by cobalt(n) in acetic acid has not been established,25 6 although a complex rate law has been determined for tetralin. 22 The reaction most likely proceeds by a fiiee radical chain mechanism in which the purpose of the cobalt ions is to provide a hi h steady state concentration of free radicals by catalysis of the decomposition of THP. The free radical nature of the autoxidation of tettalin with the colloidal CoPy catalysts is supported by experiments which showed inhibition of the reaction by 2,6-di-rerr-butylphenol and 2,6-di-rm-butyl-4-methylphenol, and by a shortening of the induction period and increase of the reaction rate when azobis(isobut nitrile) was added to the reaction mixture as a free radical initiator. 

---