MEDIA EFFECTS ON ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF PHENOLS AND CATECHOLS

The H-atom donating activities of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol (DBHA), 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethyl-6-hydroxychroman (PMHC), and 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (DTBC) toward the nitrogen-centered 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical were measured by stopped flow methods in hexane, 1-propanol, tert-butyl alcohol, and acetone. Decreases in these activities on transferring from hexane to the hydrogen bond accepting (HBA) solvents, the kinetic solvent effect (KSE), are attributed to hydrogen bonding from the phenolic group. Steric hindrance accounts for a lower decrease observed for the highly hindered BHT and DBHA compared to PMHC. The catechol, DTBC, a very active H-atom donor to DPPH in hexane, showed a dramatic loss of activity in HBA solvents, especially acetone. Higher H-atom donating activities of BHT, DBHA, and PMHC were observed toward the oxygen-centered radical of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(4‘-methoxyphenyl)phenoxyl (DBMP), and the decreases in activity in the HBA...