Quantum-chemical simulation of the elementary step of the oxidation reactions of styrene and its derivatives involving ¹О2 (¹Δg)

The results of simulation of the oxidation reaction of styrene and its methyl (two isomers) and phenyl derivatives with molecular oxygen in the excited singlet state (1Δg) have enabled the conclusion that the reaction can proceed through several mechanisms. For styrene and its phenyl derivative, three reaction channels are possible, and for the methyl derivative, there are four possible channels. For the first two substrates, the major channel is 1,2-addition to form dioxetane; for the methyl derivatives, an extra channel to give a hydroperoxide species is possible in addition to the above channel. The multichannel reaction character revealed by calculations makes it possible to qualitatively understand the reason behind the moderate selectivity (no more than 70%) of such reactions in the case of styrene and its derivatives.