Alkyl 1-[2-(oxido anion)-, 3-, 4-, 5-alkyl substituted]phenyl ketyl radicals

Abstract

Reactions of R2,R3-alkyl substituted 2-hydroxybenzenecarboxylic acids 2-HO-C6H2R2-COOH with Grignard reagents R1MgBr in the presence of nickel give stable aryl alkyl ketyl radicals 2-O--R2-, R3-C6H2-CO--R1 where R1 = CH3, C2H5, C2D5, n-C3H7 and R2,R3 = CH3, C2H5, i-C3H7, t-C4H9. The β protons of ketyl group are equivalent (splitting constant 1.25 mT) and non-equivalent (splitting constants within 0.5 to 1.5 mT) for R1 = methyl and other alkyl groups, respectively. Interaction of the γ protons with the unpaired electron was only observed in the case of R1 = n-propyl (splitting constants about 0.07 mT). The substituents R1 have but slight effect on values of splitting constants of the protons in R2,R3 and vice versa. Also splitting constants of the benzene nucleus (a4H = 0.55 mT, a6H = 0.44 mT) are only slightly affected by the substituents R1,R2,R3, which indicates dominant electron-donor effect of the oxido-anion group eliminating the relatively smaller contributions of the alkyl substituents.