THE EFFECT OF O-2 AND NO2 ON THE RING RETAINING PRODUCTS OF THE REACTION OF BENZENE WITH HYDROXYL RADICALS

The reaction of benzene with hydroxyl radicals affords phenol and 1,4- benzoquinone in 0.18 +/- 0.05 and 0.02 +/- 0.01 yield, respectively. T he main reaction of the hydroxycyclohexadienyl radical with oxygen lea ds to the respective peroxy radical which in turn decomposes to ring c leavage products and phenol. In the presence of NO2, nitrobenzene is a lso formed with yields depending linearly on the initial NO2 concentra tion and vanishing as [NO2] approaches zero. The amount of phenol form ed in the presence of NO2 is equal to that formed in the absence of NO 2 within experimental error.