Evaluations of Quinone/Hydroquinone Couples Acting as Two Hydrogen Atoms Antioxidants, Radical Quenchers, and Hydrogen Atom Abstractors

TL;DR

This paper evaluates quinone/hydroquinone couples as antioxidants and hydrogen atom transfer agents in chemical processes.

Contribution

A practical dataset is established to assess the thermodynamic capabilities of quinone/hydroquinone couples in redox reactions.

Findings

A dataset of 12 chemical processes involving 118 quinone/hydroquinone couples is created.

The dataset helps evaluate antioxidant and radical quenching capabilities of hydroquinones.

Quinone/hydroquinone couples are shown to act as dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reagents.

Abstract

Quinone/hydroquinone couples play a crucial role in a variety of biochemical processes and chemical syntheses. Extending from our previous work, a practical dataset including the thermodynamic driving forces of 12 chemical processes for 118 quinone/hydroquinone couples accepting or releasing two hydrogen atoms in DMSO is established. The dataset serves as a foundation for assessing and discussing the thermodynamic capabilities of hydroquinones acting as two-hydrogen-atoms antioxidants or radical quenchers, quinones and semiquinone radicals acting as hydrogen atoms abstractors, and quinone/hydroquinone couples acting as dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reagents. The fundamental thermodynamic knowledge is expected to further promote the broader application of quinone/hydroquinone couples in the field of chemical antioxidation and redox reactions.

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