Chemical Reactions of Superoxide Anion Radical in Aprotic Solvents

While superoxide anion radical does not normally react with olefins, it does react with activated double bonds. Thus O‐2 oxidatively cleaves certain α,β‐unsaturated ketones such as chalcones and tetracyclone and electron poor olefins such as 1,1‐dicyano and 1,1‐dinitro olefins. Similarly O‐2 can react with substituted nitrobenzenes to yield the corresponding nitrophenols. EPR and oxygen labeling (KO362) experiments confirm an electron transfer mechanism.