A variety of ortho-, meta-, and para-substituted (-H, -F, -Cl, -CF3, -CN (meta and para only), -CH3, -OCH3, and -NO2) acetophenone oximes were synthesized and studied using laser flash photolysis (LFP) and steady-state photolysis experiments in acetonitrile with chloranil as the photosensitizer. In addition, semi-empirical (AM1) calculations were performed on the neutral species, the radical cations, and the corresponding iminoxyl radicals. The data was analyzed in terms of the electrochemical peak potentials of the oximes, the quenching rates of triplet chloranil (LFP), the calculated ionization potentials, and the measured conversions of the oximes in the steady-state photolysis experiments. Photolysis of the oximes in the presence of chloranil results in the formation of the chloranil radical anion, which reacts rapidly with the oxime radical cation to form the semiquinone radical and an iminoxyl radical. Evidence for the formation of the chloranil radical anion and the semiquinone radical was obtained from LFP studies. The measured quenching rates from the LFP studies represent the rates of electron transfer from the oximes to triplet chloranil. This data was correlated to various radical and polar substituent constants. The Hammett studies suggest that steric, polar, and radical effects are important for ortho-substituted acetophenone oximes, polar effects are important for para-substituted oximes, and radical stabilization is more important than polar effects for the meta-substituted substrates. The calculated ionization potentials of the oximes show an excellent correlation with the measured quenching rates supporting the electron transfer pathway. On the basis of calculated charge densities, we conclude that the measured substituent effects are transition state effects rather than ground state effects. At this point all of the available data suggests that the conversion of the oximes is controlled by two energetically opposing reactions, namely oxidation of the neutral oxime, which is favorable for oximes with electron-donating substituents, and deprotonation of the oxime radical cation, which is favorable for oximes with electron-withdrawing substituents. The overall result is a reaction with little selectivity as far as substituent effects are concerned.Key words: oxime, radical cation, iminoxyl radical, electron transfer, substituent effect.
