Oxidation and reduction products of X irradiation at 10 K in sucrose single crystals: radical identification by EPR, ENDOR, and DFT.
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), and ENDOR-induced EPR (EIE) measurements on sucrose single crystals at 10 K after in situ X irradiation at this temperature reveal the presence of at least nine different radical species. Nine proton hyperfine coupling tensors were determined from ENDOR angular variations and assigned to six of these species (R1-R6) using EIE. Spectral simulations indicate that four of those (R1-R3 and R6) dominate the EPR absorption. Assisted by periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations, R1 and R2 are identified as H-abstracted C1- and C5-centered radicals, R3 is tentatively assigned to an H-abstracted C6-centered radical, and R6 is identified as an alkoxy radical where the abstracted hydroxy proton has migrated to a neighboring OH group via intermolecular proton transfer. The latter radical had been characterized and identified in a previous study, but the present DFT calculations provide additional insight into its conformation and particular properties. This study provides the first step in unraveling the formation mechanism of the stable sucrose radicals detected after room-temperature irradiation and contributes to the understanding of the initial stages of radiation damage to solid-state carbohydrates.
De Cooman
Hendrik
H
Department of Solid State Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S1, B-9000 Gent, Belgium.
Pauwels
Ewald
E
Vrielinck
Henk
H
Sagstuen
Einar
E
Waroquier
Michel
M
Callens
Freddy
F
D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013395:Sucrose / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D013395:Sucrose