Kinetics and mechanism of the reactions of the superoxide ion in solutions. I. Absorption spectra and interaction with solvents and cations

Absorption spectra of the superoxide ion have been studied in dimethylformamide (DMF) and acetonitrile (AN). It was found that the superoxide ion existed in equilibrium with an ion pair in AN ( K eq = 20 M −1 , Bu 4 N + is the cation) and as “free” (solvated) ion in DMF. The addition of DMF caused the destruction of an ion pair in AN. The addition of the proton donors HX (water or ethanol) to the {article}{empty}{document}O₂.̄{document} solutions in DMF and AN caused the formation of new ion pairs (Bu 4 N + {article}{empty}{document}O₂.̄{document} ) 2 HX. The equilibrium constants of these ion pairs were determined in DMF and AN.