Rate constants for the reactions of free radicals with oxygen in solution

The kinetics of the rections of several free radicals with oxygen have been examined in solution at 300 K using laser flash photolysis techniques. The reactions of resonance-stabilized radicals are only slightly slower than those of nonstabilized radicals: for example, for tert-butyl (in cyclohexane), 4.93 x 10/sup 9/; benzyl, 2.36 x 10/sup 9/ (in cyclohexane); cyclohexadienyl (in benzene), 1.64 x 10/sup 9/ M/sup -1/ s/sup -1/. The reaction of butyl-tin (n-Bu/sub 3/Sn.) radicals is unusually fast (7.5 x 10/sup 9/ M/sup -1/ s/sup -1/), a fact that has been tentatively attributed to a relaxation of spin selection rules due to heavy atom effects. 1 table.