An exploratory study on the peroxyl-radical-scavenging activity of 2,6-dimethyl-5-hepten-2-ol and its heterocyclic analogues

• Two heterocyclic analogues of odorant 2,6-dimethyl-5-hepten-2-ol were synthesized.
• New compounds were characterized by the FTIR, 1H/13C NMR and GC–MS techniques.
• Anti-peroxyl radical activity of title compounds was studied experimentally.
• The radical scavenging mechanism has been determined by the DFT calculations.
• The most preferred mechanism of radical scavenging was ascribed to the HAT.

The structural properties and radical scavenging activity of 2,6-dimethyl-5-hepten-2-ol (1) and its new heterocyclic analogues, i.e. 2-methyl-4-(5-methylfuran-2-yl)-butan-2-ol (2) and 2-methyl-4-(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)-butan-2-ol (3) and have been studied by using the experimental and theoretical methods for the first time. Activity of title compounds against the peroxyl radical was determined by using standard fluorimetric test, i.e. the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity assay (ORACFL). Furthermore, the electron-donating ability of odorants has been evaluated by using colorimetric ABTS assay. According to the experimental results obtained from the ORACFL test 2,6-dimethyl-5-hepten-2-ol was characterized by the highest activity in comparison with the novel counterparts. Nevertheless, all investigated compounds exhibited pronounced anti-peroxyl radical activity comparable to that exerted by the one of the most prominent antioxidant among the monoterpene alcohols, i.e. by linalool. On the other hand, the title compounds exerted relatively low capacity to quench the radical cation of ABTS. Theoretical calculations based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method with the hybrid functional B3LYP were carried out in order to investigate selected structural and electronic properties including the geometrical parameters as well as the energy of frontier molecular orbitals of parent molecules and the resulting radicals. Furthermore, the possible mechanism of peroxyl-radical-scavenging has been determined by using the thermodynamic descriptors such as the bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) and ionization potentials (IPs). These theoretical data pointed out the relevance of HAT mechanism in the peroxyl-radical-scavenging exhibited by 2,6-dimethyl-5-hepten-2-ol and its new heterocyclic analogues in polar and non-polar medium.

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