title: Kinetic and thermochemical study of the antioxidant activity of sulfur-containing analogues of vitamin E.
abstract: Sulfur-containing analogues of vitamin E (thiachromanols), either linked or not to a catechol moiety, were synthesized and their hydrogen-atom donating ability evaluated. The determination of the O--H bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) of the alpha-tocopherol analogue 4 by the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) equilibration technique provided a value of 78.9 kcal mol(-1), that is, approximately 1.8 kcal mol(-1) higher than that of alpha-tocopherol. The kinetic rate constants for the reaction with peroxyl radicals (kinh), measured by inhibited autoxidation studies, showed that thiachromanols react 2.5 times slower than the corresponding tocopherols, in agreement with the higher BDE value. This behavior was explained, on the basis of crystallographic analyses and DFT calculations, in terms of a change in the molecular geometry caused by insertion of a sulfur atom into the framework of vitamin E. This behavior implies a greater deviation of the condensed ring from coplanarity with the aromatic ring, thus giving rise to a decrease in the conjugative stabilization of the phenoxyl radical and consequently to an increase in the O--H bond strength. Although less reactive than tocopherols, thiachromanols may, however, act as bimodal antioxidants as a result of the hydroperoxide decomposing ability of the sulfur atom.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica Organica A. Mangini Università di Bologna, Via San Giacomo 11, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amorati
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cavalli
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fumo
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masetti
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menichetti
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pagliuca
authors.forename: Gian Franco
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Pedulli
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Viglianisi
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry*; D002839:Chromans / Q000737:chemistry; D019295:Computational Biology; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D007700:Kinetics; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010545:Peroxides / Q000737:chemistry; D013457:Sulfur Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002839:Chromans; D010545:Peroxides; D013457:Sulfur Compounds; D014810:Vitamin E; C049375:perhydroxyl radical; C029141:2,2,5,7,8-pentamethyl-1-hydroxychroman