Reduction of nitrated phenols: A method to predict half-wave-potentials of nitrated phenols with molecular modeling

Abstract

The redox stability of 13 nitrated phenols was investigated using polarographic measured half-wave-potentials. These half-wave-potentials were compared with data from a semi-empirical quantum mechanic computer model. A good correlation was found between LUMO energy and the half-wave-potential for phenols, but for phenolates the correlation coefficient was lower, even when a multivariate regression model was used.