Multi-faceted Reactivity of Alkyltellurophenols Towards Peroxyl Radicals: Catalytic Antioxidant Versus Thiol-Depletion Effect

Hydroxyaryl alkyl tellurides are effective antioxidants both in organic solution and aqueous biphasic systems. They react by an unconventional mechanism with ROO* radicals with rate constants as high as 107 M-1 s-1 at 303 K, outperforming common phenols. The reactions proceed by oxygen atom transfer to tellurium followed by hydrogen atom transfer to the resulting RO radical from the phenolic OH. The reaction rates do not reflect the electronic properties of the ring substituents and, because the reactions occur in a solvent cage, quenching is more efficient when the OH and TeR groups have an ortho arrangement. In the presence of thiols, hydroxyaryl alkyl tellurides act as catalytic antioxidants towards both hydroperoxides (mimicking the glutathione peroxidases) and peroxyl radicals. The high efficiency of the quenching of the peroxyl radicals and hydroperoxides could be advantageous under normal cellular conditions, but pro-oxidative (thiol depletion) when thiol concentrations are low.