Respective Contributions of Polar vs Enthalpy Effects in the Addition/Fragmentation of Mercaptobenzoxazole-Derived Thiyl Radicals and Analogues to Double Bonds

The formation and the reactivity of three selected sulfur-centered radicals formed from mercaptobenzoxazole, mercaptobenzimidazole, and mercaptobenzothiazole toward four double bonds (methyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, vinyl ether, and vinyl acetate) are investigated. The reversibility of the addition/fragmentation reaction in these widely used photoinitiating systems of radical polymerization was studied, for the first time, through the measurement of the corresponding rate constants by time-resolved laser spectroscopy. The combination of these results with quantum mechanical calculations clearly evidences that, contrary to previous studies on other aryl thiyl radicals, the addition rate constants (ka) are governed here by the polar effects associated with the very high electrophilic character of these radicals. However, interestingly, the back-fragmentation reaction (k-a) is mainly influenced by the enthalpy effects as supported by the relationship between the rate constants and the addition reaction enthalpy DeltaHR. The addition and fragmentation rate constants calculated from the transition state theory (TST) are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental ones. Therefore, molecular orbital (MO) calculations offered new opportunities for a better understanding of the sulfur-centered radical reactivity.

Excited state processes in a four-component photosensitive system based on a bisimidazole derivative

The four component system consisting of bis[2-(o-chlorophenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole] (Cl-HABI), N,N'-bis(diethylamino)benzophenone (EAB), N-phenylglycine (NPG) and an iodonium salt (BIP-T) can be used for the photoinitiation of radical polymerization reactions. The excited state processes involved are reported and all the transient species, including the triplet state and ketyl radical of EAB as well as the lophyl radical, are characterized. Rate constants of interaction between the different partners in the four component system are determined. Redox potentials of the different compounds are evaluated enabling the free energies for electron transfer reactions to be calculated. An overall scheme for the evolution of the excited states and a general discussion on the role played by the different components in photoinitiating polymerization are then provided.