How can the structure of short-lived N-oxyl radicals influence its electron transfer (ET) properties?
Osvaldo Lanzalunga and his team at Sapienza Universita di Roma and Istituto CNR di Metodologie Chimiche (IMC-CNR) provide some answers to this question in this OBC HOT paper.
They study the kinetics of the one electron oxidation of substituted ferrocenes by a series of N-oxyl radicals in acetonitrile and determine self-exchange reorganization energy values.
They conclude by saying that ‘even small modifications of the structure of the N-oxyl radicals lead to signifiant variation of the self-exchange reorganization energy values.’
If you want to read more about these results, you can download the paper for free until 8th June.
This paper is part of the Free Radical collection of papers in memory of Athel Beckwith, which will be published at the end of May. Watch this space.
One-electron oxidation of ferrocenes by short-lived N-oxyl radicals. The role of structural effects on the intrinsic electron transfer reactivities
Enrico Baciocchi, Massimo Bietti, Claudio D’Alfonso, Osvaldo Lanzalunga, Andrea Lapi and Michela Salamone
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0OB01257B
