The effect of O2 and NO2 on the ring retaining products of the reaction of benzene with hydroxyl radicals

Abstract

The reaction of benzene with hydroxyl radicals affords phenol and 1,4-benzoquinone in 0.18±0.05 and 0.02±0.01 yield, respectively. The main reaction of the hydroxycyclohexadienyl radical with oxygen leads to the respective peroxy radical which in turn decomposes to ring cleavage products and phenol. In the presence of NO2, nitrobenzene is also formed with yields depending linearly on the initial NO2 concentration and vanishing as [NO2] approaches zero. The amount of phenol formed in the presence of NO2 is equal to that formed in the absence of NO2 within experimental error.