1,2-H Atom Rearrangements in Benzyloxyl Radicals

The rate constants for solvent-assisted 1,2-H atom rearrangements in para-substituted benzyloxyl radicals were studied with density functional theory. The rate of the radical rearrangement, calculated through transition state theory with Eckhart tunneling corrections, was shown to be drastically impacted by the presence of both implicit and explicit solvent molecules, with a quantitative agreement with laser flash photolysis studies for a variety of electron-donating and -withdrawing substituents. The rate of rearrangement was found to be correlated to the distance between the rearranging hydrogen atom and the α-carbon in the transition state, which could be modified through the para substituent and the type of assisting solvent molecule (e.g., water, ethanol, methanol, acetic acid, or a mixture of the latter). Natural bond orbital analysis showed that the rearrangement does not proceed through a hydrogen radical but through a quasi-proton exchange and charge transfer between the benzyl carbon and the adjacent oxygen atom. Energetic and spin population results indicated that electron-withdrawing groups induce faster rearrangement kinetics. Understanding 1,2-H atom shifts in benzyloxyl radicals are essential for tuning the rate of superoxide production in aqueous systems, as the resonance-stabilized carbon radical produced from the rearrangement can bind oxygen and decompose to produce superoxide radical anion, an important reactive intermediate in environmental and biological systems.