The chemistry of peroxynitrite: Involvement of an ET process in the radical nitration of unsaturated and aromatic systems

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/1099-0690(200102)2001:4<741::aid-ejoc741>3.0.co;2-q

Reactions of peroxynitrous acid, HPN, with styrene under acidic conditions lead to the oxime 1, the nitrate 2, benzaldehyde (3), and α-nitroacetophenone (4) in overall yields that depend strongly on the pH value and with a product distribution that depends on the dioxygen concentration. The results are rationalized by assuming that HPN undergoes acid-catalyzed decomposition to give nitrous anhydride, or its synthetic equivalent, which is responsible for the regioselective nitration of the styrene double bond by an ET process. The resulting β-nitrobenzyl radical 6 can, depending on the reaction conditions, undergo reversible coupling with nitric oxide to afford the nitroso derivative 7 and then the tautomeric oxime 1, or trapping by dioxygen, eventually leading to products 2, 3, and 4 through the intermediacy of the peroxynitrite derivative 8. Oxime 1 and nitrate 2 are also obtained by treating styrene with nitrous anhydride under protic conditions, the latter being produced in situ from nitric oxide/dioxygen. Similarly to styrene, 1,4-diphenylbutadiene (14) gives radicals 22 and 21 by competitive trapping at the side chain and at the aromatic ring. In turn, radicals 22 and 21 undergo β-fragmentation reactions or trapping by dioxygen with eventual formation of nitrates 16 and 17, cinnamic aldehyde (18), and the diol 15. Finally, the HPN-promoted reaction of p-cresol (27) leads to the 2-nitro derivative 28 through an initial electron-transfer process followed by in cage recombination of the resulting radical ion pair.