Utilisation des pièges à radicaux en vue de mettre en évidence des intermédiaires dans la photolyse de complexes contenant une liaison CoIII—C

Abstract

Using the spin trapping technique with 5,5′-dimethyl 1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN), nitrosodurene (ND), and α-4-pyridyl 1-oxide N-tert-butl nitrone (4-POBN), or their mixtures, we have been able to detect two types of radicals, one is a hydrogen atom spin adduct and the other is the corresponding alkyl of the alkylcobaloximes, salens or cobalamines.By the use of selective deuteration and the preparation of the benzyl bis(diphenylglyoximato)-pyridinato cobaloxime, we have shown that the spin trapped hydrogen atom comes from the chelated hydrogen of the dimethylglyoximato anion of the equatorial ligand of CoIII complexes. Using a mixture of two spin traps gives rise to an esr spectrum containing, at the same time, the hydrogen atom and alkyl spin adducts.To explain such an efficient spin trapping reaction while the homolysis is in competition with a β-elimination process, it should be postulated that the photolysis of such compounds proceeds through a solvent cage environment. This hypothesis explains the strong influence of solvents on the nature of the free radicals trapped. Also the spin trap diffuses in the solvent cage, and is able to trap in a very efficient manner any free radicals occurring in the solvent cage. The excited CoIII complexes and the spin trap in the solvent cage behave like an exciplex, which could explain the spin trapping of the hydrogen atom.