Abstract
1-Cyano-l-methylethyl radicals produced by the decomposition of α, α'-azobisisobutyronitrile attacked the semipolar N→0 bond of azoxybenzene and dimethylaniline-N-oxide yielding hydrogen cyanide, acetone, azobenzene, and dimethylaniline. Sulphone, sulphoxide, triethyl phosphate, and phosphorus oxychloride did not react with this radical. There was a rough parallelism between the amounts of acetone produced and the reductive half-wave potentials of nitro compounds, azoxybenzene, and dimethylaniline-N-oxide.
Oxygen combined with 1-cyano-1-methylethyl radicals in solutions to yield the corresponding peroxy radicals which decompose giving hydrogen cyanide and acetone.
