Exceptionally Persistent Nitrogen-Centered Free Radicals. Syntheses, ESR Spectra, Isolation, and X-ray Crystallographic Structures of N-(Arylthio)-2-tert-butyl-4,6-diarylphenylaminyl and N-(Arylthio)-4-tert-butyl-2,6-diarylphenylaminyl Radicals¹

The preparation, ESR spectra, isolation, and X-ray crystallographic structure of N-(arylthio)-2-tert-butyl-4,6-diarylphenylaminyls (1) and N-(arylthio)-4-tert-butyl-2,6-diarylphenylaminyls (2) are described. The aminyls are generated by PbO(2) oxidation of N-(arylthio)-2-tert-butyl-4,6-diarylanilines and N-(arylthio)-4-tert-butyl-2,6-diarylanilines. The kinetic ESR study shows that the aminyls are quite persistent, even in the presence of oxygen, and exist in the individual radical forms. Among the seventeen aminyls prepared, N-[(4-nitrophenyl)thio]-2-tert-butyl-4,6-diphenylphenylaminyl (1b), N-[(4-nitrophenyl)thio]-2-tert-butyl-4,6-bis(4-chlorophenyl)phenylaminyl (1f), N-[(4-nitrophenyl)thio]-4-tert-butyl-2,6-diphenylphenylaminyl (2b), N-[(4-nitrophenyl)thio]-4-tert-butyl-2,6-bis(4-chlorophenyl)phenylaminyl (2h), and N-[(3,5-dichlorophenyl)thio]-4-tert-butyl-2,6-bis(4-chlorophenyl)phenylaminyl (2j) are isolated as radical crystals. The crystallographic structures of 1b and 2b are determined by the X-ray crystallographic analyses. Aminyls 1 and 2 give similar ESR spectra consisting of 1:1:1 triplets with the a(N) values of 0.921-0.948 mT. Deuteration of the phenyl groups on the anilino benzene ring gives rise to a further splitting of the nitrogen 1:1:1 triplet by the anilino meta (0.126-0.138) and phenylthiyl ortho and para protons (0.077-0.096 mT). Upon recording at high gain, one of the partly deuterated aminyls gives satellite lines due to (33)S isotopes at natural abundance from which a(33)(S) is determined to be 0.51 mT. The ESR parameters for 1 and 2 are compared with those for structurally close N-(arylthio)-2,4,6-triarylphenylaminyl and N-(arylthio)-2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenylaminyl.