Theoretical Study on the Dark Oxidation Reaction Mechanism of Ethers

The dark oxidation reactions of ethers including aether, isopropyl ether, phenyl isopropyl ether, and benzyl isopropyl ether have been studied by using density functional theory calculations. The structures of initial contact charge transfer complexes (CCTCs), transition states and caged radical intermediates have been located at the B3LYP/6-31G (d) level. The bonding nature of ethers with triplet O2 in CCTCs has been analyzed, and the detailed mechanism of dark oxidation reactions of ether is presented clearly.