Oxidation of Sterically Hindered Phenols

The homolytic oxidation of sterically hindered phenols has been reviewed. The possible criteria of the reactivity of phenolic compounds, the properties of phenoxy-radicals–the primary products of oxidation by bound oxygen in non-polar media, and the kinetics of the reactions of phenoxy-radicals in the presence and absence of oxidants, have been discussed. Particular attention has been devoted to the oxidation of sterically hindered phenols in polar media by molecular oxygen, which exhibits a number of characteristic features. The bibliography comprises 84 references.