Kinetics and structure-activity relationship of dendritic bridged hindered phenol antioxidants to protect styrene against free radical induced peroxidation

Abstract

A series of dendritic poly(amido-amine) (PAMAM) bridged hindered phenols antioxidants were synthesized. The active antioxidant group (3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid) was attached to two generations of PAMAM dendrimers, and their structure was verified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR). The antioxidant abilities of the dendritic phenols to inhibit the oxidation of styrene were evaluated and the relationships between the length of core, the generation of dendrimers and the antioxidant activities were established. The reaction kinetics of scavenging peroxyl radicals was followed by oxygen consumption. The inhibition time (t_inh) values showed the dendritic phenols had the ability of scavenging peroxyl radicals, and that the antioxidant ability increased with the increasing length of the core and the generation. The kinetic analysis demonstrated that dendritic phenols could slow the rate of styrene peroxidation induced by AIBN, as shown by the number of trapping ROO· (n), and this role was in accordance with that of the t_inh values.