THE KINETICS OF THE INHIBITED AUTOXIDATION OF TETRALIN

Abstract
The kinetics of the inhibition of the autoxidation of tetralin by 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol, phenol, and 4-methoxyphenol have been investigated at 65 °C. The highly hindered 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol follows simple first order kinetics and exhibits a normal deuterium isotope effect (kH/kD = 10). The kinetics with phenol are complicated by the fact that the phenoxy radical can abstract a hydrogen atom from both tetralin and its hydroperoxide. This leads to oxidation rates which are inversely proportional to the square root of the phenol concentration. The deuterium isotope effect has about the value to be expected in view of this square root relation. The kinetics with 4-methoxyphenol result from chain transfer and from chain termination by the coupling of 4-methoxyphenoxy radicals. The isotope effect varies between zero and a value that approaches the upper limit of about 10 at low inhibitor concentrations.

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