Generation and spectroscopic and kinetic characterization of methoxy-substituted phenoxyl radicals in solution and on paper

A number of methoxy-substituted phenoxyl radicals have been generated and characterized by laser flash photolysis techniques in solution and on paper. The radicals have been produced by three routes in solution: hydrogen abstraction from phenols by tert-butoxyl radical, photolysis of alpha-aryloxyacetophenones, and direct excitation of phenols. Most of the phenoxyl radicals studied have a characteristic absorption near 400 nm; the ortho-substituted radicals have an additional broad absorption in the visible in non-hydroxylic solvents (e.g., 650 nm for 2-methoxyphenoxyl radical). The relative intensities of the 400 nm and the long-wavelength bands vary with substitution pattern and solvent, with the long wavelength band being much weaker in hydroxylic solvents. Direct excitation of phenols provides an alternate source of phenoxyl radicals in some cases. However, for 4-methoxyphenol there are overlapping absorptions due to triplet phenol and phenol radical cation, both of which absorb in the 400-460 nm region. The 4-methoxyphenol radical cation is formed in a biphotonic process and decays by deprotonation to give the phenoxyl radical. The 4-methoxyphenoxyl radical can also be generated on paper from either the ketone or phenol precursor and decays with complex kinetics that depend on the precursor loading and laser intensity. There is no evidence for the formation of significant amounts of long-lived ketone or phenol triplets on paper. The decay kinetics for the phenoxyl radical are modified by the addition of the radical scavenger dithioerythritol. The results indicate both static and dynamic components to the radical scavenging process. The generation of phenoxyl radicals on paper in the presence and absence of scavengers provides the basis for the development of a new method for screening potential photoyellowing inhibitors and understanding their mode of action.