The reactions between the electrogenerated 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) dianion (DDQ2−) and the alkali metal cations (M+: Li+, Na+, K+) in homogeneous acetonitrile solutions were studied using a pulse electrolysis stopped-flow method. Changes in the absorption spectra were observed after the ion pair formation reaction of DDQ2− with Na+ to form Na2DDQ. From the decay profile of free DDQ2−, it became clear that the reaction of DDQ2− with Na+ reached equilibrium through two steps, one fast (several tens of milliseconds) and one slow (several seconds). This complex behavior could be understood by the following two-step mechanism.
In addition, a difference of the reactivity toward DDQ2− depending on the size of M+ was evident, though the reaction of DDQ2− and Li+ was too fast to be followed.
You have access to this article
Please wait while we load your content...
Something went wrong. Try again?