Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) are a class of prevalent contaminants. Abiotic reduction is an important fate process that initiates NAC degradation in the environment. Many linear free energy relationship (LFER) models have been developed to predict NAC reduction rates. Almost all LFERs to date utilize experimental aqueous-phase one-electron reduction potential (E H 1) of NAC as a predictor, and thus, their utility is limited by the availability of E H 1 data. A promising new approach that utilizes computed hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) Gibbs free energy instead of E H 1 as a predictor was recently proposed. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of HAT energy for predicting NAC reduction rate constants. Using dithionite-reduced quinones, we measured the second-order rate constants for the reduction of seven NACs by three hydroquinones of different protonation states. We computed the gas-phase energies for HAT and electron affinity (EA) of NACs and established HAT- and EA-based LFERs for six hydroquinone species. The results suggest that HAT energy is a reliable predictor of NAC reduction rate constants and is superior to EA. This is the first independent, experimental validation of HAT-based LFER, a new approach that enables rate prediction for a broad range of structurally diverse NACs based solely on molecular structures.

Determining the fate of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) in the environment requires the use of predictive models for compounds and conditions for which experimental data are insufficient. Previous studies have developed linear free energy relationships (LFERs) that relate the thermodynamic energy of NAC reduction to its corresponding rate constant. We present a comprehensive LFER that incorporates both the reduction and oxidation half-reactions through quantum chemically calculated energies.

<div>A linear free energy model is presented that predicts the second order rate constant for the abiotic reduction of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs). For this situation previously presented models use the one electron reduction potential of the NAC reaction. If such value is not available, it has been has been proposed that it could be computed directly or estimated from the electron affinity (EA). The model proposed herein uses the Gibbs free energy of the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) as the parameter in the linear free energy model. Both models employ quantum chemical computations for the required thermodynamic parameters. The available and proposed models are compared using second order rate constants obtained from five investigations reported in the literature in which a variety of NACs were exposed to a variety of reductants. A comprehensive analysis utilizing all the NACs and reductants demonstrate that the computed hydrogen atom transfer model and the experimental one electron reduction potential model have similar root mean square errors and residual error probability distributions. In contrast, the model using the computed electron affinity has a more variable residual error distribution with a significant number of outliers. The results suggest that a linear free energy model utilizing computed hydrogen transfer reaction free energy produces a more reliable prediction of the NAC abiotic reduction second order rate constant than previously available methods. The advantages of the proposed hydrogen atom transfer model and its mechanistic implications are discussed as well.</div>

A linear free energy model is presented that predicts the second‐order rate constant for the abiotic reduction of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs). Previously presented models use the one‐electron reduction potential EH1(ArNO2) of the NAC reaction ArNO2+e−→ArNO2•−. If EH1(ArNO2) is not available, it has been proposed that EH1(ArNO2) be computed directly or estimated from the gas‐phase electron affinity (EA). The model proposed uses the Gibbs free energy of the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reaction ArNO2+H•→ArNOOH• as the parameter in the linear free energy model. Both models employ quantum chemical computations for the required thermodynamic energies. The available and proposed models are compared using experimentally determined second‐order rate constants from 5 investigations from the literature in which a variety of NACs were exposed to a variety of reductants. A comprehensive analysis utilizing all the NACs and reductants demonstrate that the HAT energy model and the experimental one‐electron reduction potential model have similar root mean square errors and residual error probability distributions. In contrast, the model using the computed EA has a more variable residual error distribution with a significant number of outliers. The results suggest that a linear free energy model utilizing computed HAT reaction free energy produces a more reliable prediction of the NAC abiotic reduction second‐order rate constant than previously available methods. The advantages of the proposed HAT energy model and its mechanistic implications are discussed as well. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1678–1684. © 2020 SETAC

No single linear free energy relationship (LFER) exists that can predict reduction rate constants of all munition constituents (MCs). To address this knowledge gap, we measured the reduction rates of MCs and their surrogates including nitroaromatics [NACs; 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN), 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-A-DNT), 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-A-DNT), and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT)], nitramines [hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and nitroguanidine (NQ)], and azoles [3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) and 3,4-dinitropyrazole (DNP)] by three dithionite-reduced quinones (lawsone, AQDS, and AQS). All MCs/NACs were reduced by the hydroquinones except NQ. Hydroquinone and MC speciations were varied by controlling pH, permitting the application of a speciation model to determine second-order rate constants (k) from observed pseudo-first-order rate constants. The intrinsic reactivity of MCs (oxidants) decreased upon deprotonation, while the opposite was true for hydroquinones (reductants). The rate constants spanned ∼6 orders of magnitude in the order NTO ≈ TNT > DNP > DNT ≈ DNAN ≈ 2-A-DNT > DNP – > 4-A-DNT > NTO – > RDX. LFERs developed using density functional theory-calculated electron transfer and hydrogen atom transfer energies and reported one-electron reduction potentials successfully predicted k, suggesting that these structurally diverse MCs/NACs are all reduced by hydroquinones through the same mechanism and rate-limiting step. These results increase the applicability of LFER models for predicting the fate and half-lives of MCs and related nitro compounds in reducing environments.