Metal Complexes as Antioxidants. I. The Reaction of Zinc Dialkyldithiophosphates and Related Compounds with Peroxy Radicals

The kinetics of the inhibition of the autoxidation of several hydrocarbons by a number of zinc dialkyldithiophosphates and by zinc isopropylxanthate and zinc diethyldithiocarbamate have been studied at 30^c and at 50^c. The oxidations were generally auto-retarding but initial rate measurements showed that these compounds trapped peroxy radicals and allowed rate constants for this process to be calculated. Rate constants for the reaction of t-butylperoxy radicals with these compounds have been measured by a kinetic e.p.r. method in the temperature range 0^c to −90^c. Extrapolation of the e.p.r. data to the temperatures of the inhibition studies showed that the various experimental procedures yielded results in satisfactory agreement with one another.It is suggested that the reaction of peroxy radicals with zinc complexes involves reaction at the metal center either by an electron transfer or an S_H2 process.