Mechanistic aspects of hydrogen abstraction for phenolic antioxidants. Electronic structure and topological electron density analysis.

Density functional calculations using the B3LYP functional are used to provide insight into the hydrogen abstraction mechanism of phenolic antioxidants. The energy profiles for 13 ortho, meta, para and di-methyl substituted phenols with hydroperoxyl radical have been determined. An excellent correlation between the enthalpy (DeltaH) and activation energy (DeltaEa) was found, obeying the Evans-Polanyi rule. The effects of hydrogen bonding on DeltaEa are also discussed. Electron donating groups at the ortho and para positions are able to lower the activation energy for hydrogen abstraction. The highly electron withdrawing fluoro substituent increases the activation energies relative to phenol at the meta position but not at the para position. The electron density is studied using the atoms in molecules (AIM) approach. Atomic and bond properties are extracted to describe the hydrogen atom abstraction mechanism. It is found that on going from reactants to transition state, the hydrogen atom experiences a loss in volume, electronic population and dipole moment. These features suggest that the phenol hydroperoxyl reactions proceed according to a proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) as opposed to a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanism.