Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of N,N′-dimethyl-9,9′-biacridanyl by some π acceptors and a one-electron oxidant

Oxidation of N,N′-dimethyl-9,9′-biacridanyl (DD) has been investigated as a model for single electron transfer (SET)-initiated oxidation of NADH coenzyme models such as N-methylacridan (DH). Oxidants investigated cover a 10 10 -fold range of reactivity in acetonitrile and include the π acceptors 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), 2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone (DCIBQ), p-chloranil (CA), 2,3-dicyanobenzoquinone (DCBQ), 2,3-dicyano-1,4-naphthoquinone (DCNQ), 2,3-dicyano-5-nitro-1,4-naphthoquinone (DCNNQ), 9-dicyanomethylene-2,4,7-trinitrofluorene (DCMTNF), 9-dicyanomethylene-2,4,5,7-tetranitrofluorene (DCMTENF), 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), and tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), and the one-electron oxidant tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)cobalt(III), [Formula: see text] The oxidation product is, in every case, N-methylacridinium ion (D + ). A mechanism involving a rate-determining electron transfer with simultaneous fragmentation to D + and N-methyl-9-acridanyl radical (D•) is proposed. This mechanism is supported by the observed dependence of the rate on oxidant reduction potential, by spin-trapping experiments, by kinetic isotope effects in oxidation of 9,9′-dideuterio-DD, and by substituent effects in oxidation of 2,2′- and 3,3′-dimethoxy-DD. The rate of oxidation of DD relative to that of DH is 3.4 × 10 2 with [Formula: see text] and with the π acceptors varies from ea. 0.3 (BQ) to 8.1 × 10 4 (DCMTENF). The results rule out a SET-initiated mechanism for oxidation of DH by all of the oxidants studied except TCNQ and DCMTENF.