Effect of Viscosity on the Bimolecular Termination Rate Constants for Semiquinone Radicals in Solution: a Kinetic E.S.R. Study

Abstract

The Arrhenius activation energies (EA) have been determined for the near diffusion-controlled bimolecular termination reactions of some semiquinone radicals in a series of solvents. It was often found that EA was less than the activation energy of diffusion (ED) is the solvent. An explanation has been proposed in terms of the rate of encounters between the radicals and the rate at which the radicals react during an encounter.