Intramolecular Mobility in Nitroxide Biradicals with Flexible Linkers

Abstract

Intramolecular electron spin exchange has been studied by X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in two long-chain flexible nitroxide biradicals existing in fluid solutions in three spectroscopy-different spatial conformations as a function of temperature, solvent viscosity and polarity. Certain thermodynamic parameters of the conformational transitions were calculated from the EPR spectra. The process of spin-exchange in these biradicals dissolved in five different alcohols was compared with that in the non-polar solvents (toluene) and aprotic (acetonitrile), as well as with two other biradicals studied earlier, and with thermodynamic characteristics of the solvents. A distinct correlation was found between macroscopic (solvent viscosity) characteristics of solvents and thermodynamic parameters of the intramolecular conformational transitions.