Phenylthiyl Radical Research Articles

Effect of Propanol-1 on the Reaction between Thiophenol and N,N'-Diphenyl-1,4-Benzoquinone Diimine in Chlorobenzene

It is found that the interaction between thiophenol and N,N '-diphenyl-1,4-benzoquinone diimine proceeds by two routes, one of which is a radical chain reaction and the other is a nonchain reaction between the reagents. The kinetic patterns of the reaction depend substantially on the concentration of propanol-1 in mixtures of it and chlorobenzene. It is shown that at 343 K, replacing chlorobenzene with propanol-1 results in an almost twentyfold increase in the total rate of the reaction. Increasing the concentration of propanol-1 raises the rate of both routes of the reaction, but that of the nonchain route grows more than that of the chain route. It is concluded that increasing the concentration of propanol-1 results in a simultaneous 20–30 times rise in the rate constants of both the stage of radical generation by the reaction between the reagents as well as the rate constant of the nonchain bimolecular reaction, and the chain length of the chain reaction is shortened. When chlorobenzene is replaced with propanol-1, the rate constant of the limiting stage of chain propagation (the reaction of quinone diimine with a phenylthiyl radical) is halved, due to the formation of H complexes between the π system of quinone diimine and the proton of propanol-1.

Laser photolysis studies of ω-bond dissociation in aromatic carbonyls of five-membered rings induced by triplet sensitization

Photoinduced ω-bond cleavage was investigated in seven newly synthesized aromatic ketones having five-membered rings (furan and thiophene) and/or phenyl group connected to the phenylthiyl moiety with CS bond. Following direct laser excitation of these ketones in acetonitrile, the transient absorption spectra that appeared were shown to be due to the corresponding triplet states. No chemical reactions occurred upon direct excitation. However, triplet sensitization of these aromatic ketones using xanthone revealed no formation of their triplet states. Instead absorption spectra of the phenylthiyl radical (PTR) appeared as a result of CS bond cleavage. These observations indicate that higher triplet states were reactive leading to CS bond dissociation. The CS bond dissociation mechanism upon triplet sensitization for the studied carbonyl compounds was discussed considering energy diagrams of the higher excited states.

Thiyl-Radical-Catalyzed Photoreductive Hydrodifluoroacetamidation of Alkenes with Hantzsch Ester as a Multifunctional Reagent

Hydrodifluoroacetamidation of alkenes with readily available α-bromodifluoroacetamides was achieved by means of a photoreductive reaction catalyzed by the phenyl thiyl radical. A Hantzsch ester was used as the hydrogen donor and electron donor. This photoreductive pathway did not involve the oxidation of a carbon radical intermediate to a carbocation species.

Generation and characterization of the phenylthiyl radical and its oxidation to the phenylthiylperoxy and phenylsulfonyl radicals.

The phenylthiyl radical (1) was prepared in the gas phase by vacuum flash pyrolysis of allylphenyl sulfide or diphenyl sulfide and isolated in an argon matrix. The hitherto unknown phenylthiyl peroxy radical was synthesized by co-condensation of 1 with molecular oxygen. Irradiation with light of λ = 465 nm led to a rearrangement to the novel phenylsulfonyl radical.

Twice acting antioxidants: synthesis and antioxidant properties of selenium and sulfur-containing zingerone derivatives

Two new organochalcogen-containing zingerone derivatives, 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-4-(phenylseleno)-2-butanone (2b) and 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-4-(phenylthio)-2-butanone (2c) were prepared and evaluated for their antioxidant properties. DPPH and lipid peroxidation studies show that 2b and 2c have significantly improved antioxidant activity over dehydrozingerone (1) despite having similar electron transfer capacity. We speculate that the improved activity of 2b and 2c is partly due to the ability of these compounds to act twice as phenolic antioxidants through a mechanism that eliminates phenylselenyl or phenylthiyl radicals.

Factors Affecting the Branching Ratio of Photodissociation: Thiophenol Studied through Quantum Wavepacket Dynamics.

The photodissociation dynamics of thiophenol (PhSH) excited to the 1(1) ππ* state was investigated by time-dependent quantum wavepacket propagation within two-dimensional (2D) space consisting of the S-H bond and -SH torsion. We systematically studied the dependence of the branching ratio (Ã/X(~)) between the two electronic states of the phenylthiyl radical (PhS(.) ) on several factors of the 2D potential energy surfaces (PESs). The effect of a reduced initial barrier to the first ππ*/πσ* conical intersection (CI) was found to be marginal, whereas the effects of a reduced torsional barrier of -SH on the excited ππ* state and the mitigated slope of the πσ* PES between the first (ππ*/πσ*) and the second (πσ*/S0 ) CIs were noticeable. The effect of the slope on the branching ratio has never been previously noticed. It was shown that the branching ratio can be sufficiently above unity without pre-excitation of the torsion mode of -SH, which has been assumed so far.

Mechanistic insight into the photoredox catalysis of anti-markovnikov alkene hydrofunctionalization reactions.

We describe our efforts to understand the key mechanistic aspects of the previously reported alkene hydrofunctionalization reactions using 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium (Mes-Acr+) as a photoredox catalyst. Importantly, we are able to detect alkene cation radical intermediates, and confirm that phenylthiyl radical is capable of oxidizing the persistent acridinyl radical in a fast process that unites the catalytic activity of the photoredox and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) manifolds. Additionally, we present evidence that diphenyl disulfide ((PhS)2) operates on a common catalytic cycle with thiophenol (PhSH) by way of photolytic cleaveage of the disulfide bond. Transition structure analysis of the HAT step using DFT reveals that the activation barrier for H atom donation from PhSH is significantly lower than 2-phenylmalononitrile (PMN) due to structural reorganization. In the early stages of the reaction, Mes-Acr+ is observed to engage in off-cycle adduct formation, presumably as buildup of PhS− becomes significant. The kinetic differences between PhSH and (PhS)2 as HAT catalysts indicate that the proton transfer step may have significant rate limiting influence.

Synthesis, characterization, Co–S bond reactivity of a vitamin B12 model complex having pentafluorophenylthiolate as an axial ligand

Heptamethyl (aquo)(pentafluorophenylthiolate)cobyrinate perchlorate, [(H2O)(C6F5S)Cob(III)7C1ester]ClO4, was synthesized as a B12 model complex having a thiolate ligand in the axial position. The axial ligand change in heptamethyl (diaquo)cobyrinate diperchlorate, [(H2O)2Cob(III)7C1ester](ClO4)2, from H2O to C6F5S(-) afforded the B12-thiolate complex. The B12-thiolate model complex was characterized by UV-vis, NMR and ESI-mass spectroscopies. The coordination of C6F5S(-) to the cobalt center affected the spectroscopic properties of the corrin ring through the electronic interaction between the axial ligand (C6F5S(-)) and the equatorial ligand (corrin). The photolysis of the B12-thiolate model complex led to the homolytic cleavage of the Co(iii)-S bond to form the Co(II) complex and the phenyl thiyl radical. The thermolysis of the B12-thiolate model complex also led to the homolytic cleavage of the Co(III)-S bond. Furthermore, the reactivity of the Co(III)-S bond of the B12-thiolate model complex was applied to the catalytic oxidation of C6F5SH to C6F5S-SC6F5.

Polarity Reversal Catalysis in Radical Reductions of Halides by N-Heterocyclic Carbene Boranes

Otherwise sluggish or completely ineffective radical reductions of alkyl and aryl halides by N-heterocyclic carbene boranes (NHC-boranes) are catalyzed by thiols. Reductions and reductive cyclizations with readily available 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene borane and a water-soluble triazole relative are catalyzed by thiophenol and tert-dodecanethiol [C(9)H(19)C(CH(3))(2)SH]. Rate constants for reaction of the phenylthiyl (PhS•) radical with two NHC-boranes have been measured to be ~10(8) M(-1) s(-1) by laser flash photolysis experiments. An analysis of the available evidence suggests the operation of polarity reversal catalysis.

Nanoscale Structure of Ionic Liquid and Diffusion Process as Studied by the MFE Probe

Magnetic field effects (MFEs) observed for photoinduced hydrogen abstract reaction between benzophenone and thiophenol, generating phenylthiyl and benzophenone ketyl radicals, in an ionic liquid of N,N,N,-trimethyl-N-propylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (TMPA TFSA) were analyzed by using the stochastic Liouville equation (SLE) with the cage model and the solvent separated radical pair model, respectively. The MFEs observed on the yield of escaped benzophenone ketyl radical in the range of 0 < B ≤ 2.0 T were explained by the transverse spin relaxation in the radical pair caused by the large anisotropy of the g-value and the slow rotation of phenylthiyl radical in the IL. The calculated MFE was dependent on a rotational correlation time of the radical as well as the mutual diffusion coefficient for the translational diffusion of the radicals. The SLE analysis revealed that the IL has at least two different viscosity regions, causing the nanoscale cage effect on the radical diffusion in the IL.

ChemInform Abstract: Mn(III)-Promoted Sulfur-Directed 4-exo-Trig Radical Cyclization of Enamides to β-Lactams.

Abstract The synthesis of β-lactams vinylated at C-4 from N-(3-phenylthio-1-alkenyl)amides was carried out by Mn(III)-promoted 4-exo-trig radical cyclization followed by β-fragmentative loss of phenylthiyl radical. The effects on the reaction course of different substituents both on enamidic nitrogen atom or double bond were analyzed. The overall reaction was stereoselective, leading to trans azetidinones.

Photodissociation Dynamics of Thiophenol-d1: The Nature of Excited Electronic States along the S−D Bond Dissociation Coordinate

The S-D bond dissociation dynamics of thiophenol-d1 (C6H5SD) pumped at 266, 243, and 224 nm are examined using the velocity map ion imaging technique. At both 266 and 243 nm, distinct peaks associated with X and A states of the phenylthiyl radical (C6H5S*) are observed in the D+ image at high and low kinetic energy regions, respectively. The partitioning of the available energy into the vibrational energy of the phenylthiyl radical is found to be enhanced much more strongly at 266 nm compared to that at 243 nm. This indicates that the pipi* electronic excitation at 266 nm is accompanied by significant vibrational excitation. Given the relatively large anisotropy parameter of -0.6, the S-D dissociation at 266 nm is prompt and should involve the efficient coupling to the upper-lying n(pi)sigma* repulsive potential energy surface. The optical excitation of thiophenol at 224 nm is tentatively assigned to the pisigma* transition, which leads to the fast dissociation on the repulsive potential energy surface along the S-D coordinate. The nature of the electronic transitions associated with UV absorption bands is investigated with high-level ab initio calculations. Excitations to different electronic states of thiophenol result in unique branching ratios and vibrational excitations for the fragment of the phenylthiyl radical in the two lowest electronic states.

Effect of thiophenol on thermal fragmentation of polyisoprene

As a fundamental study for chemical recycle of waste vulcanized rubber to reproduce functional polymers, polyisoprene (PI) was thermally fragmented to obtain low molecular weight PI in the presence of thiophenol (PhSH). PI (Mw = 51,000) was heated at 140°C under air atmosphere to give low molecular weight PI. The fragmentation in the presence of PhSH effectively decreased the molecular weight (Mw = 7400), which is significantly lower than that in the fragmentation in the absence of PhSH. The fragmented PI contained phenyl sulfide moieties based on the addition of phenyl thiyl radical to the hydrogen abstracted methylene or the double bond moieties. Tgs of the fragmented polymers were higher than that of the original PI, despite the lower molecular weights, probably because of the introduction of the rigid phenyl sulfide moieties and the terminal polar carbonyl groups formed by oxidation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007

Reactions of Hydrated Electron with Various Radicals: Spin Factor in Diffusion-Controlled Reactions

The reactions of hydrated electron (eaq-) with various radicals have been studied in pulse radiolysis experiments. These radicals are hydroxyl radical (*OH), sulfite radical anion (*SO3-), carbonate radical anion (CO3*-), carbon dioxide radical anion (*CO2-), azidyl radical (*N3), dibromine radical anion (Br2*-), diiodine radical anion (I2*-), 2-hydroxy-2-propyl radical (*C(CH3)2OH), 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propyl radical ((*CH2)(CH3)2COH), hydroxycyclohexadienyl radical (*C6H6OH), phenoxyl radical (C6H5O*), p-methylphenoxyl radical (p-(H3C)C6H4O*), p-benzosemiquinone radical anion (p-OC6H4O*-), and phenylthiyl radical (C6H5S*). The kinetics of eaq- was followed in the presence of the counter radicals in transient optical absorption measurements. The rate constants of the eaq- reactions with radicals have been determined over a temperature range of 5-75 degrees C from the kinetic analysis of systems of multiple second-order reactions. The observed high rate constants for all the eaq- + radical reactions have been analyzed with the Smoluchowski equation. This analysis suggests that many of the eaq- + radical reactions are diffusion-controlled with a spin factor of 1/4, while other reactions with *OH, *N3, Br2*-, I2*-, and C6H5S* have spin factors significantly larger than 1/4. Spin dynamics for the eaq-/radical pairs is discussed to explain the different spin factors. The reactions with *OH, *N3, Br2*-, and I2*- have also been found to have apparent activation energies less than that for diffusion control, and it is suggested that the spin factors for these reactions decrease with increasing temperature. Such a decrease in spin factor may reflect a changing competition between spin relaxation/conversion and diffusive escape from the radical pairs.

Experimental and theoretical study of the photodissociation reaction of thiophenol at 243nm: Intramolecular orbital alignment of the phenylthiyl radical

The photoinduced hydrogen (or deuterium) detachment reaction of thiophenol (C(6)H(5)SH) or thiophenol-d(1) (C(6)H(5)SD) pumped at 243 nm has been investigated using the H (D) ion velocity map imaging technique. Photodissociation products, corresponding to the two distinct and anisotropic rings observed in the H (or D) ion images, are identified as the two lowest electronic states of phenylthiyl radical (C(6)H(5)S). Ab initio calculations show that the singly occupied molecular orbital of the phenylthiyl radical is localized on the sulfur atom and it is oriented either perpendicular or parallel to the molecular plane for the ground (B(1)) and the first excited state (B(2)) species, respectively. The experimental energy separation between these two states is 2600+/-200 cm(-1) in excellent agreement with the authors' theoretical prediction of 2674 cm(-1) at the CASPT2 level. The experimental anisotropy parameter (beta) of -1.0+/-0.05 at the large translational energy of D from the C(6)H(5)SD dissociation indicates that the transition dipole moment associated with this optical transition at 243 nm is perpendicular to the dissociating S-D bond, which in turn suggests an ultrafast D+C(6)H(5)S(B(1)) dissociation channel on a repulsive potential energy surface. The reduced anisotropy parameter of -0.76+/-0.04 observed at the smaller translational energy of D suggests that the D+C(6)H(5)S(B(2)) channel may proceed on adiabatic reaction paths resulting from the coupling of the initially excited state to other low-lying electronic states encountered along the reaction coordinate. Detailed high level ab initio calculations adopting multireference wave functions reveal that the C(6)H(5)S(B(1)) channel may be directly accessed via a (1)(n(pi),sigma(*)) photoexcitation at 243 nm while the key feature of the photodissociation dynamics of the C(6)H(5)S(B(2)) channel is the involvement of the (3)(n(pi),pi(*))-->(3)(n(sigma),sigma(*)) profile as well as the spin-orbit induced avoided crossing between the ground and the (3)(n(pi),sigma(*)) state. The S-D bond dissociation energy of thiophenol-d(1) is accurately estimated to be D(0)=79.6+/-0.3 kcalmol. The S-H bond dissociation energy is also estimated to give D(0)=76.8+/-0.3 kcalmol, which is smaller than previously reported ones by at least 2 kcalmol. The C-H bond of the benzene moiety is found to give rise to the H fragment. Ring opening reactions induced by the pi-pi(*)n(pi)-pi(*) transitions followed by internal conversion may be responsible for the isotropic broad translational energy distribution of fragments.

The reactivity of carotenoid radicals with oxygen

The possibility that carotenoid radicals react with oxygen to form chain-carrying peroxyl radicals has been postulated to account for the reduction in antioxidant effetiveness displayed by some carotenoids at high oxygen concentrations. The primary objective of the work described in this paper was to measure the rate constants for oxygen addition to a series of carotenoid radicals and to examine any influence of carotenoid structural features on these rate constants. Laser flash photolysis has been used to generate long-lived carotenoid radicals (PhS–CAR√) derived from radical addition reactions with phenylthiyl radicals (PhS√) in benzene. The PhS–CAR√ radicals are scavenged by oxygen at rates that display a moderate dependence on the number of conjugated double bonds (ndb) in the carotenoid. The rate constants range from ∼103 to ∼104 M− 1 s− 1 for ndb = 7–11. The data also suggest that the presence of terminal cyclic groups may cause an increase in the rate constant for oxygen addition.

Intramolecular Orbital Alignment Observed in the Photodissociation of [D1]Thiophenol

In-plane or out-of-plane: Two low-energy states of the phenylthiyl radical were observed in the photodissociation of [D1]thiophenol. The relative orientation of the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) distinguishes the two species, namely X̃(B1) and Ã(B2). This orbital is largely localized on the sulfur atom and exhibits atomic-orbital-like alignment with respect to the molecular plane (see picture).

Effects of Localized Triplet Exciton on Reactivity of Photoinduced ω-Bond Dissociation in Naphthyl Phenyl Ketones Having π,π* Lowest Triplet (T1) States Studied by Laser Flash Photolysis

Photochemical properties of photoinduced omega-bond dissociation in naphthyl phenyl ketones having a phenylthiyl moiety as a leaving group, p-(alpha-naphthoyl)benzyl phenyl sulfide (NBPS) and 4-benzoyl-1-naphthylmethyl phenyl sulfide (BNMPS), in solution were investigated by laser flash photolysis techniques. Both ketones were shown to undergo photoinduced omega-bond cleavage of the C-S bond to release the phenyl thiyl radical (PTR) at room temperature. Irrespective of excitation wavelengths of NBPS, a quantum yield (Phi(rad)) of the PTR formation was obtained to be 0.1, whereas that for BNMPS was found to depend on the excitation wavelength, i.e., absorption bands from the ground state (S0) to the excited singlet states, S3, S2, and S1 of BNMPS; Phi(rad)(S3) = 0.77 and Phi(rad)(S2) = Phi(rad)(S1) = 1.0. By using triplet sensitization of p-phenylbenzophenone (PBP), efficiencies (alpha(rad)) of the radical formation in the lowest triplet state (T1(pi,pi*)) of NBPS and BNMPS were determined to be 0 and 1.0, respectively. The agreement between Phi(rad)(S1) and alpha(rad) values for BNMPS indicates that the C-S bond dissociation occurs in the T1 state via the S1 state via a fast intersystem crossing from the S1 to the T1 state. The wavelength dependence of the radical yields upon direct excitation of BNMPS was interpreted in terms of the C-S bond cleavage in the S3 state competing with internal conversion from the S3 to the S2 state. The smaller value of Phi(rad)(S3) than those of Phi(rad)(S1) and Phi(rad)(S2) was proposed to originate from the geminate recombination of singlet radical pairs produced by the bond dissociation via the S3 state. Photoinduced omega-cleavage of NBPS was concluded to take place only in the S1(n,pi*) state. Difference in reactivity of omega-cleavage between the triplet states of NBPS and BNMPS was interpreted in terms of localized triplet exciton in the naphthoyl moieties.

Laser photolysis studies of β-bond cleavage of phenacyl phenyl sulfide in acetonitrile

Photo-induced β-bond dissociation of phenacyl phenyl sulfide (PPS) has been investigated in acetonitrile by laser photolysis techniques. Direct excitation of PPS at 295 K provided the acetylmethyl and phenylthiyl radicals with a quantum yield (Φrad) of 0.18, whereas triplet sensitization using xanthone revealed an efficiency for β-cleavage of triplet PPS (α rad) of ≥0.64. From disagreement between the Φrad and α rad values, it was concluded that both the lowest excited single and triplet states are reactive for β-bond dissociation in PPS. The photochemical processes of excited PPS, including β-cleavage, are discussed in detail.

Highly Diastereoselective Formation of Spirocyclic Compounds via 1,5‐Hydrogen Transfer: A Total Synthesis of (‐)‐Erythrodiene.

[reaction: see text] A highly stereoselective synthesis of (-)-erythrodiene starting from 4-isopropylcyclohexanone is described. The key reactions are an asymmetric methoxycarbonylation of the starting ketone and a highly diastereoselective radical cascade involving addition of a phenylthiyl radical to a terminal alkyne followed by a 1,5-hydrogen transfer and a 5-exo-cyclization.