DPPH (=2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical-scavenging reaction of protocatechuic acid (=3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid): Difference in reactivity between acids and their esters

Protocatechuic acid (=3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid; 1) exhibits a significantly slow DPPH ( 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrythydrazyl) radical-scavenging reaction compared to its esters in alcoholic solvents. ne present study is aimed at the elucidation of the difference between the radical-scavenging mechanisms of protocatechuic acid and its esters in alcohol. Both protocatechuic acid (1) and its methyl ester 2 rapidly scavenged 2 equiv. of radical and were converted to the corresponding o-quinone structures 1a and 2a, respectively (Scheme). Then, a regeneration of catechol (benzene-1,2-diol) structures occurred via a nucleophilic addition of a MeOH molecule to the o-quinones to yield alcohol adducts 1f and 2c, respectively, which can scavenge additional 2 equiv. of radical. However, the reaction of protocatechuic acid (1) beyond the formation of the o-quinone was much slower than that of its methyl ester 2. The results suggest that the slower radical-scavenging reaction of 1 compared to its esters is due to a dissociation of the electron-withdrawing carboxylic acid function to the electron-donating carboxylate ion, which decreases the electrophilicity of the o-quinone, leading to a lower susceptibility towards a nucleophilic attack by an alcohol molecule.