Free radicals from biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs): an electron spin resonance investigation

Abstract

Electron spin resonance has been used to characterise free radicals formed by the reactions of photochemically generated tert-butoxyl radicals with α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, car-2-ene, car-3-ene and limonene. The spectra have been interpreted using computer analysis and simulation and assigned to substituted cyclohexenyl or cyclohexadienyl radicals formed by abstraction of a hydrogen atom from the parent terpene.