Cyclohexadienyl Radical Research Articles

Local Ordering in Liquids: Solvent Effects on the Hyperfine Couplings of the Cyclohexadienyl Radical

Ordering of solvent molecules in the vicinity of a dipolar free radical affects its hyperfine coupling constants (hfcs). Specifically, it is demonstrated how the variation of the experimental methylene proton and muon hfcs of the muoniated cyclohexadienyl radical in several solvents and solvent mixtures of varying polarity can be accounted for by a dipole-dipole reaction field model that is based on the model of Reddoch and Konishi (J. Chem. Phys. 1979, 70, 2121) which was developed to explain the solvent dependence of the 14N hfc in the di-tert-butyl-nitroxide radical. Ab initio calculations were carried out with the cyclohexadienyl radical in an electric field to model the electric field arising from the electric dipole moments of the surrounding solvent molecules. An extension of the model that includes the dipole-quadrupole interaction can account for the larger hfc in benzene compared with that in octadecane, and it is predicted that the hfc will be proportional to the concentration of quadrupole moments to the 4/3 power. The influence of hydrogen bonding between the radicals' pi electrons and the OH groups of the solvent on the hfcs is also discussed. Comparison with gas-phase data permits a separation of vibrational effects and reveals that approximately 28% of the temperature dependence in water is due to increasing solvent disorder.

Partitioning and reorientational dynamics of phenylalcohols in SDS lyotropic liquid crystalline mesophases: An ALC-μSR study

Avoided level crossing muon spin resonance (ALC-μSR) has been applied to monitor location and reorientational dynamics of two different sets of muoniated cyclohexadienyl radicals derived from 3-phenylpropan-1-ol and 5-phenylpentan-1-ol as tracer molecules in SDS–water–pentanol ternary mixtures and in SDS–water–pentanol–dodecane quaternary systems. The present results show a dependence of the phenylalcohol partitioning on the environment polarity and on the structure of the SDS dispersions. Both radicals tend to be incorporated within the mesophases at 25 °C. The low polarity sensed by the tracer molecule indicates that among all mesophases these species are immersed the deepest in the sponge phase. Alternatively, the effect could be explained by a dependence of the water gradient in the surfactant layer on the overall water versus hydrocarbon content of a system. The changing amplitudes, widths and shapes of the Δ 1 resonances reveal a different extent of dynamics of three isomers of the muoniated 3-phenylpropan-1-ol radical in particular mesophases. The most extensive dynamics occurs in the hexagonal phase. The probe molecule chain length and the fractions of pentanol and dodecane are additional factors that affect partitioning.

Radical Additions of Aryl Iodides to Arenes Are Facilitated by Oxidative Rearomatization with Dioxygen

Inter- and intramolecular additions of aryl radicals derived from aryl iodides to arenes are promoted by tris(trimethylsilyl)silane and occur under exceptionally mild conditions (15-30 min at 25 degrees C) in nondegassed benzene. A chain mechanism involving reaction of the intermediate cyclohexadienyl radical with oxygen to directly generate the aromatized product and the hydroperoxy radical is proposed.

Aerobic oxychlorination of phenols catalyzed by copper(II) chloride

Oxychlorination of phenol and electron-rich phenolic compounds catalyzed by CuCl 2 under mild conditions has been developed. Chloride ions are used as halogenating agents and dioxygen as a final oxidant. The catalyst shows not only high regioselectivity for para- or ortho isomers but also a remarkable chemoselectivity for monochlorination, with no products of the oxidation of phenols being formed in detectable amounts. Non-phenolic aromatics and phenols with electron withdrawing substituents undergo no transformation at all under similar conditions. A free radical mechanism is suggested, which involves one-electron oxidation of phenol by CuCl 2 to the corresponding phenoxy radical followed by a rapid reaction of the tautomeric cyclohexadienyl radical with CuCl 2 resulting in chlorinated product and CuCl. Re-oxidation of CuCl by dioxygen completes a catalytic cycle. This simple, low cost and selective method might be applied for the synthesis of chlorophenols, which are widely used in pharmaceutical, agricultural and dye industries.

Photoactivated H/D Exchange in Tyrosine: Involvement of a Radical Anion Intermediate

The aromatic hydrogen nuclei of tyrosine are photochemically labile and exchange with deuterons in neutral D(2)O solution. The site meta to the ring hydroxyl substituent is preferentially deuterated, exhibiting a meta/ortho deuteration rate of approximately 4:1. In contrast with acid-catalyzed H/D exchange and with nearly all of the reported photoactivated H/D exchange studies, the UV-induced H/D exchange of tyrosine is optimal at pH 9 and is effectively quenched at acid pH. Photochemical H/D exchange is strongly stimulated by the alpha-amino group (the aromatic hydrogens of p-cresol are far less subject to exchange) and by imidazole or phosphate buffers. On the basis of the results obtained here and on the previously identified cyclohexadienyl radical (Bussandri, A.; van Willigen, H. J. Phys. Chem. A 2002, 106, 1524-1532), we conclude that the exchange reaction involves a radical intermediate and results from two distinct roles of tyrosine: (1) as a phototransducer of light energy into solvated electrons (e(aq)(-)), and (2) as an acceptor of an electron to create a radical anion intermediate which is rapidly protonated, yielding a neutral cyclohexadienyl radical. Regeneration of the tyrosine can occur via a bimolecular redox reaction of the cyclohexadienyl and phenoxyl radicals to yield a carbocation/phenoxide pair, followed by deprotonation of the carbocation. The oxidation step is pH dependent, requiring the deprotonated form of the cyclohexadienyl radical. The H/D exchange thus results from a cyclic one-electron (Birch) reduction/protonation/reoxidation (by phenoxyl radical)/deprotonation cycle. Consistent with these mechanistic conclusions, the aromatic hydrogens of tyrosine O-methyl ether are photochemically inert, but become labile in the presence of tyrosine at high pH. The deuteration rate of O-methyl tyrosine is lower than that of tyrosine and shows a preference for the ortho positions. This difference is proposed to result from a variation in the oxidation step, characterized by a preferential oxidation of a cyclohexadienyl resonance structure with the unpaired electron localized on the oxygen substituent.

Evolution of Functional Cyclohexadiene‐Based Synthetic Reagents: The Importance of Becoming Aromatic

AbstractFor Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

DFT investigation of the polymer electrolyte membrane degradation caused by OH radicals in fuel cells

Thermodynamic properties ( Δ H R ° , Δ G R ° ) of the radicals originating from the reactions of the compounds modeling building blocks of the polymer membranes used in low temperature fuel cell applications with hydroxyl radicals and oxygen molecules are studied in water environment and room temperature. All characteristics of the compounds are calculated using the UB3LYP DFT method with spin unrestricted orbitals. The Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM) is employed to model the solvation of species by water. A degradation mechanism for the nonfluorinated aromatic polymers sPEEK and PSU, which leads to the loss of sulfonic acid groups, is proposed. The process starts with the addition of the OH radical to aromatic rings. At the next step, an oxygen molecule is attached to the cyclohexadienyl radical forming various OH–aromatic–OO type radicals. These species can act as direct precursors for the loss of sulfonic acid group. Alternatively, they can transform into bicyclic and/or epoxy-type radicals, which are labile towards the detachment of the sulfonic acid group. The presence of water favors the detachment reactions significantly. The processes lead to decreased proton conductivity and contribute to the reduction of the membrane performance in PEMFCs and DMFCs.

Understanding solvent effects on hyperfine coupling constants of cyclohexadienyl radicals

Quantum chemical calculations have been carried out to understand better solvent effects on the isotropic muon and proton hyperfine coupling constants in the C6H6Mu• radical. Both polarizable continuum solvent models and explicit inclusion of water molecules into supermolecular complexes were used. Changes in the hyperfine couplings of in-plane hydrogen atoms are very small and difficult to discuss, partly due to relatively large experimental error bars. In contrast, the out-of-plane proton and muon hyperfine couplings exhibit more pronounced changes. These are partly due to structural changes of the radical and partly due to direct electronic polarization effects. Polarizable continuum solvent models agree well with experimental changes for benzene but overshoot the enhancement of the hyperfine couplings for water. Explicit inclusion of water molecules reduces this overestimated spin density increase and thereby tends to bring theory and experiment into closer agreement. The enhancement of the spin density on the out-of-plane hydrogen or muon atoms by the solvent environment is mainly due to an increased polarization of the singly occupied MO towards this side.

Evolution of Functional Cyclohexadiene-Based Synthetic Reagents: The Importance of Becoming Aromatic

Suites of new precursors designed around a cyclohexadiene core and intended to mediate "clean" radical chain syntheses have been prepared and tested. 1-Functionalized cyclohexa-2,5-dienes were found to readily donate H-atoms, and the resulting cyclohexadienyl radicals rapidly extruded their functional group as a free radical, because this beta-scission restored aromaticity to the ring. This concept was employed to generate designer radicals from esters of the corresponding alcohols with 1-methyl- or 1-phenylcyclohexa-2,5-diene-1-carboxylic acids. In a similar way, pre-adapted carbamoyl radicals were obtained from cyclohexadienyl-amides and proved advantageous for syntheses of alpha- and beta-lactams. Oxime ether substituted carbamoyl radicals cyclized successfully in convenient syntheses of dihydroindolin-2-ones with N-functionality at the 3-position. Similarly, silicon-centered radicals were obtained from 1-silylated cyclohexadienes, and these reagents proved to be very efficient, environmentally benign organotin hydride substitutes. Radical reactions including reductions, cyclizations, intermolecular additions, and hydrosilylations were carried out in high yields with this reagent. Other heteroatom-centered radicals, especially N-centered radicals, were obtained from appropriate cyclohexadienes enabling chain hydroaminations to be conducted. Several of the cyclohexadiene precursors proved to be useful for electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic purposes, and this enabled rate constants for fragmentations of the cyclohexadienyl radicals to be obtained. Kinetic data for H-atom abstraction from cyclohexadienes, the second propagation step of the chain processes, was derived from customized radical clocks and from EPR measurements. In this way, conceptual tools were developed for improving future synthetic methodology based around these reagents.

Intramolecular addition of cysteine thiyl radicals to phenylalanine in peptides: formation of cyclohexadienyl type radicals

The intra-molecular addition of peptide cysteine thiyl radicals to phenylalanine yields alkylthio-substituted cyclohexadienyl radicals for the peptides Phe-Cys and Phe-Gly-Cys-Gly, i.e. even when Phe and Cys are separated by a Gly residue, and presents a possible free radical pathway to thioether-containing peptide and protein cross-links.

A kinetics and mechanistic study of the OH and NO2 initiated oxidation of cyclohexa-1,3-diene in the gas phase

The kinetics and products of the OH and NO2-initiated oxidation of cyclohexa-1,3-diene have been investigated at 296 K and 700 Torr using long path FTIR spectroscopy. Relative rate methods were employed using the photolysis of cyclohexa-1,3-diene/CH3ONO/NO/air mixtures to measure kappa(OH + cyclohexa-1,3-diene) = (1.68 +/- 0.43) x 10(-10) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). From the pseudo-first order decay of cyclohexa-1,3-diene in the presence of excess NO2, a value of kappa(NO2 + cyclohexa-1,3-diene) = (1.75 +/- 0.15) x 10(-18) cm3 molecule)-1) s(-1) was derived. An upper limit of kappa < or = 7 x 10(-21) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) was established for the reaction of NO with cyclohexa-1,3-diene. Benzene was observed as a product of both the OH and NO2 initiated oxidation, providing evidence of H atom abstraction in both reactions. Assuming the reaction of cyclohexadienyl radicals (C6H7) with O2 produces benzene as the sole organic product, the results are consistent with abstraction channel branching ratios of (8.1 +/- 0.2)% and (1.5 +/- 0.4)%, respectively. The results also indicate that C6H7 reacts with NO2, with a relative rate coefficient kappa(C6H7 + NO2)/kappa(C6H7 +O2) = (1.8 +/- 0.5) x 10(5), and that this partially forms benzene, with a branching ratio of (27 +/- 7)%. The stoichiometry and products of the NO2 reaction were investigated in the absence of O2, in the presence of O2, and in the presence of O2 and NO. Reaction mechanisms consistent with the observations are presented. In the presence of NO and O2, the NO2-initiated chemistry leads to NO-to-NO2 conversion, and the formation of HOx radicals in significant yield, (0.79 +/- 0.05), such that cyclohexa-1,3-diene removal occurs by reaction with both NO2 and OH. HCOOH was detected as a product in this system, providing evidence for significant formation of stabilised C6 alpha-hydroxyperoxy radicals from the OH-initiated chemistry, and their subsequent reaction with NO. An estimate of ca. 500-1000 s(-1) is made for their decomposition rate, based on the [NO]-dependence of the HCOOH yields. The implications of the results are discussed within the context of the atmospheric chemistry of conjugated dienes.

Laser-induced fluorescence of cyclohexadienyl (c-C6H7) radical in the gas phase.

A laser-induced fluorescence spectrum was observed in the 500-560 nm region when a mixture of 1,4-cyclohexadiene and oxalyl chloride was photolyzed at 193 nm. The observed excitation spectrum was assigned to the A (2)A(2)<--X (2)B(1) transition of the cyclohexadienyl radical c-C6H7, produced by abstraction of a hydrogen atom from 1,4-cyclohexadiene by Cl atoms. The origin of the A<--X transition of c-C(6)H(7) was at 18 207 cm(-1). From measurements of the dispersed fluorescence spectra and ab initio calculations, the frequencies of several vibrational modes in both the ground and excited states of c-C(6)H(7) were determined: nu(5)(C-H in-plane bend)=1571, nu(8)(C-H in-plane bend)=1174, nu(10)(C-C-C in-plane bend)=981, nu(12)(C-C-C in-plane bend)=559, nu(16)(C-C-C out-of-plane bend)=375, and nu(33)(C-C-C in-plane bend)=600 cm(-1) for the ground state and nu(8)=1118, nu(10)=967, nu(12)=502, nu(16)=172, and nu(33)=536 cm(-1) for the excited states.

Direct Measurement of the Fast, Reversible Addition of Oxygen to Cyclohexadienyl Radicals in Nonpolar Solvents

The title reaction was measured directly by laser flash photolysis in several nonpolar solvents, using both the strong ultraviolet and weaker visible absorption bands of the cyclohexadienyl radical. Both the visible and ultraviolet transient absorptions are shown to have identical time dependence, confirming that both absorptions correspond to the same species. The cyclohexadienyl radical's spectra were observed in several nonpolar solvents and are reported. The rate constant of the title reaction is 1.2 ± 0.4 × 109 M-1 s-1 in cyclohexane solvent at room temperature (298 K). This reaction is diffusion-limited, which is consistent with previous literature reports, but 2 orders of magnitude faster than the rate constant measured recently in the gas phase. Reasons for the discrepancy are explored, with the most likely explanation being that the title reaction becomes equilibrated in both the liquid and gas phases. Calculations reveal that the weak solvation of the nonpolar solvents coupled with higher oxygen...

Pulse-shift measurement: a direct observation of radical pair dynamics in a micelle

The hydrogen abstraction reactions of benzophenone in a micellar solution in the absence and presence of 1,4-cyclohexadiene are compared with time-resolved electron spin resonance (ESR) and optically detected (OD) ESR. “Pulse shift” measurement by OD-ESR, which observes the effect of a resonant microwave pulse at different delay times after laser excitation, reveals that the lifetime of the radical pair becomes much shorter in the presence of 1,4-cyclohexadiene. This explains the change of chemically induced dynamic electron polarization from spin-correlated radical pair polarization in the absence of 1,4-cyclohexadiene to conventional, E*/A polarization in its presence. The rate constants determined by this technique indicate that the escaping rate of cyclohexadienyl radical is ten times larger than those of alkyl and benzophenone ketyl radicals.

Silylated Cyclohexadienes as New Radical Chain Reducing Reagents: Preparative and Mechanistic Aspects.

AbstractFor Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

Silylated cyclohexadienes as new radical chain reducing reagents: preparative and mechanistic aspects.

Various silylated 1,4-cyclohexadienes are presented as superior tin hydride substitutes for the conduction of various radical chain reductions. Debrominations, deiodinations, and deselenations can be performed using these environmentally benign reagents. Furthermore, Barton-McCombie-type deoxygenations using silylated cyclohexadienes are described. Radical cyclizations, ring expansions, and Giese-type addition reactions with the new tin hydride substitutes are presented. The polymerization of styrene can be regulated using silylated cyclohexadienes. Rate constants for hydrogen atom abstraction from two 1-silyl-cyclohexadienes by primary C-radicals were determined. The effects of the cyclohexadiene substituents on the reaction outcomes are discussed. Finally, qualitative EPR experiments on silyl radical expulsion from silylated cyclohexadienyl radicals are presented.

Cascade Radical Reactions via α-(Arylsulfanyl)imidoyl Radicals: Competitive [4 + 2] and [4 + 1] Radical Annulations of Alkynyl Isothiocyanates with Aryl Radicals

Aryl radicals react with 2-(2-phenylethynyl)phenyl isothiocyanate through a novel radical cascade reaction entailing formation of alpha-(arylsulfanyl)imidoyl radicals and affording a new class of compounds, i.e. thiochromeno[2,3-b]indoles. These derivatives are formed as mixtures of substituted analogues arising from competitive [4 + 2] and [4 + 1] radical annulations. The isomer ratio is strongly dependent on the aryl substituent and is correlated to its capability to delocalize spin density. The presence of a methylsulfanyl group in the ortho-position of the initial aryl radical results in complete regioselectivity and better yields, as the consequence of both strong spin-delocalization effect, which promotes exclusive [4 + 1] annulation, and good radical leaving-group ability, which facilitates aromatization of the final cyclohexadienyl radical. Theoretical calculations support the hypothesis of competitive, independent [4 + 2] and [4 + 1] annulation pathways. They also suggest that rearrangement onto the sulfur atom of the [4 + 1] intermediate does not occur via a sulfuranyl radical but rather through either a transition state or a sulfur-centered (thioamidyl) radical; the latter is possibly the preferred route in the presence of an o-methylsulfanyl moiety that can act as a leaving group in the final ipso-cyclization process.

Kinetics and mechanism of the gas-phase reaction of the cyclohexadienyl radical c-C6H7with O2

The kinetics and mechanism of the gas-phase reaction of the cyclohexadienyl radical c-C6H7 with O2 have been investigated using both experimental and theoretical approaches. The rate constant has been measured using conventional flash photolysis in the temperature range 302–456 K, 1 atm pressure. c-C6H7 radicals were produced by reacting Cl atoms with 1,4-cyclohexadiene. The rate expression is k1=(1.4±0.26)×10−13 exp[−(300±74) K/T] cm3 molecule−1 s−1 (2σ error bars). The reaction can proceed either by association, yielding a peroxy radical RO2 or by H-abstraction, yielding benzene+HO2, the two reaction channels involving two distinct transition states. In contrast to what is observed for the c-C6H6OH radical, no equilibrium with the peroxy radical could be characterised. The theoretical approach, involving both DFT and ab initio methods, was used to determine if the measured rate constant should be assigned to the association or to the H-abstraction channel. Comparison of experimental and theoretical results shows that H-abstraction must be the only significant reaction channel.

Orientation and binding of cyclohexadienyl radical in NaY zeolite—computational study and comparison with benzene

Recent experimental studies suggest that the host–guest interaction is stronger between C 6H 6Mu and the cation site in NaY zeolite than in the case for benzene, leading to trapping of the radical in an essentially frozen geometry over the temperature range 3–322 K. while benzene exhibits fast rotational motion at these temperatures (J. Phys. Chem. B 106 (2002) 6395). A comparison of the benzene–Na + and cyclohexadienyl–Na + model systems using ab initio methods shows that the binding energies between these systems are virtually identical. However, modeling of the benzene and cyclohexadienyl interactions with a partially optimized segment of the zeolite matrix corresponding to the Na + site indicates that electrostatic dipole–dipole interactions between the radical and the zeolite lead to orienting forces (and a barrier to uniaxial reorientation of several tens of kJ mol −1) which do not exist in the case of benzene.

Multiple Hydrogen Shifts Leading to Ammonia Loss from the Molecular Ions of Cyanocyclohexanes

The loss of ammonia from the metastable molecular ions of cyclic cyano compounds has been examined with the use of deuterium labeling and tandem mass spectrometry. Loss of ammonia is significant for ionized cyanocyclohexane, 1-methyl-, 4-methyl-, 4-cyano-and 4-phenyl-cyanocyclohexanes, 4-cyanopiperidine, cyanocycloheptane and 2-cyanonorbornane. By contrast, loss of ammonia is of minor importance (or absent) for the molecular ions of cyanocyclopentane, 2-methyl-cyanocyclohexane, 1-phenyl-cyanocyclohexane, 1-cyanocyclohexene, 4-cyanotetrahydrothiopyran, 2-cyano-5-norbornene and isocyanocyclohexane. Deuterium labeling of cyanocyclohexane reveals the occurrence of an H-shift from the 4-position to the cyano function, followed by a 1,2-H shift from the 1-position to the C-atom of the newly-formed–CNH group. Subsequently, a series of H-shifts leads to a distonic ion that is formulated as an N-protonated methylamine attached to a cyclohexadienyl radical. Loss of ammonia ensues and leads to ionized toluene as indicated by collision-induced dissociation experiments. For 4-phenyl-cyanocyclohexane, the metastable ions of the cis- and trans-isomers display, essentially, the same unimolecular chemistry. Briefly, the labeling of 4-phenyl-cyanocyclohexane indicates the following: (i) the H atom at the 4-position of the cyclohexane ring is incorporated, to a minor extent, in the ammonia molecule, (ii) loss of NHD2 predominates in the reactions of the molecular ions of 2,2,6,6-d4-4-phenyl-cyanocyclohexane and (iii) the ionized 3,3,5-d3-labeled species expels mainly NH2D. In addition, the metastable molecular ions of the 4-[d5-phenyl]-cyanocyclohexane expel NH3 and NH2D in a ratio of 35:65. A mechanistic scheme is proposed that is consistent with the labeling results for 4-phenyl-cyanocyclohexane as well as the indicated formation of ionized 4-methylbiphenyl as the product ion of ammonia loss.