New sterically hindered di-o-quinones of the biphenyl series
摘要:
New di-o-quinones of the biphenyl series, namely, 2,2'-dialkyl-5,5'-di-tert-butylbiphenyl-3,4,3',4'-diquinones, were synthesized. Their structures were established by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The molecular structure of 2,2'-dimethyl-5,5'-di-tert-butylbiphenyl-3,4,3',4'-diquinone was established by X-ray structural analysis. The structure is characterized by orthogonal (the torsion angle is 82.9 degrees) mutual arrangement of o-benzoquinone fragments. ESR studies demonstrated that chemical reduction of diquinone proceeds in four one-electron stages to form paramagnetic mono- and trianions as intermediates. Quinopyrocatechols, which are intermediates in the synthesis of di-o-quinones, were isolated and characterized.