Application of ESE spectroscopy to the study of radical reactions in solids

Abstract

ESE spectroscopy is shown to be a powerful method for studying radical reactions in solids. Overlapping EPR spectra are possible to be differentiated into each spectral component by utilizing the difference of paramagnetic relaxation rates due to the difference of molecular motion. Informations on the motion of molecules affecting radical reactions are also obtained. The ESE technique is applied to alkyl radicals generated from normal and branched alkanes by ϒ-irradiation at cryogenic temperature for elucidating the mechanism of selective radical formation by the detachment of C-H hydrogen. It is concluded that the selectivity is strongly dependent on the easiness of C-C-C bending motion assisting the detachment of hydrogen. © 1992 IUPAC