the present invention also relates to a method of stimulating superoxide generation which comprises administering to a mammal in need of such treatment an amount of a compound of the formula ## str19 ## or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or steroisomer or geometric isomer thereof , wherein r 11 and r 12 are alike or different and are hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms , and r is defined as hereinbefore , which is effective to stimulate superoxide generation . the term &# 34 ; tert - alkyl &# 34 ; as used herein in reference to r 1 and r 2 refers to branched chain alkyl moieties of from about 4 to 10 carbon atoms having a tertiary carbon atom attached to the phenyl ring substituted by r 1 and r 2 . examples of such groups are tert - butyl , i . e ., 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl , 1 , 1 - dimethylpropyl , 1 - methyl - 1 -( ethyl ) pentyl , 1 , 1 - diethylpropyl , 1 - ethyl - 1 -( propyl ) butyl and the like . the term &# 34 ; alkylene &# 34 ; refers to straight or branched chain alkylene groups having between about 1 to 10 carbon atoms including , for example , methylene , ethylene , propylene , 1 , 2 - dimethylethylene , pentylene , 1 - methylbutylene , isopentylene , neopentylene , etc . the term &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ;, as used herein , refers to straight or branched chain alkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms , inclusive , i . e ., methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , iso - propyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , n - pentyl , 2 - methylbutyl , 2 , 2 - dimethylbutyl , n - hexyl , and the like the terms &# 34 ; substituted phenyl &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; substituted benzyl &# 34 ; refers to phenyl or benzyl having one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo , hydroxy , lower alkyl and lower alkoxy . particularly preferred compounds of formula i are those wherein r 1 and r 2 are both tert - alkyl . the expression &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable salts &# 34 ; is intended to include those salts capable of being formed with the compounds of the present invention without materially altering the chemical structure or pharmacological properties thereof . such salts include inorganic and organic cations or acid addition salts , such as sodium , potassium , calcium , ammonium , alkylammonium , triethanolamine , lysine , hydrochloric , hydrobromide , etc . well known to those skilled in the art . the foregoing salts are prepared in the conventional manner by neutralization of the compounds of formula i with the desired base or acid . the compounds of the present invention can be administered in such oral dosage forms as tablets , capsules , pills , powders , granules , elixirs , or syrups as well as aerosols for inhalation . likewise , administration may be effected intravascularly , subcutaneously , or intramuscularly using dosage forms known to those of ordinary skill in the pharmaceutical arts . in general , the preferred form of administration is oral . an effective but non - toxic amount of the compound is employed in treatment . the dosage regimen utilizing the present compounds is selected in accordance with a variety of factors including the type , age , weight , sex , and medical condition of the patient ; the severity of the condition to be ameliorated ; and the route of administration . a physician of ordinary skill can readily determine and prescribe the effective amount of the drug required to prevent , treat or arrest the progress of the particular condition . the effective amount for administration is ordinarily that amount which is required to assure that the mammalian neutrophils involved in the generation of superoxide will be exposed to a sufficient concentration of drug to stimulate the generation of superoxide . a dosage regimen can be effectively determined for each patient or animal by initial intravenous infusion at a low dosage level , e . g ., 0 . 01 μg / kg / min and thereafter increasing the dosage until the desired effect is obtained . thereafter , oral dosages can be determined which will yield equivalent blood levels of drug . dosages of the compounds of the present invention , will range generally between about 0 . 1 mg / kg / day to about 100 mg / kg / day and preferably between about 0 . 5 mg / kg / day to about 50 mg / kg / day . the compounds may also be administered transdermally or topically . the daily dosage may be administered in a single dose or in equal divided doses three or four times daily . in the pharmaceutical compositions and methods of the present invention , at least one of the active compounds of the invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof will typically be administered in admixture with suitable pharmaceutical diluents , excipients , or carriers ( collectively referred to herein as &# 34 ; carrier &# 34 ; materials ) suitably selected with respect to the intended form of administration , that is , oral tablets , capsules , elixirs , syrups , and the like , and consistent with conventional pharmaceutical practices . for instance , for oral administration in the form of tablets or capsules , the active drug component may be combined with any oral non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier such as lactose , starch , sucrose , cellulose , magnesium stearate , dicalcium phosphate , calcium sulfate , mannitol and the like ; for oral administration in liquid form , the active drug component may be combined with any oral non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier such as ethanol and the like . moreover , when desired or necessary , suitable binders , lubricants , disintegrating agents and coloring agents can also be incorporated in the mixture . suitable binders include starch , gelatin , natural sugars , corn sweeteners , natural and synthetic gums such as acacia , sodium alginate , carboxymethylcellulose , polyethylene glycol , and waxes . lubricants for use in these dosage forms include boric acid , sodium benzoate , sodium acetate , sodium chloride , and the like . disintegrators include , without limitation , starch , methylcellulose , agar , bentonite , guar gum , and the like . the preparation of the compounds used in practicing the invention has been described in published patents and patent applications , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 663 , 333 incorporated herein by reference describes the preparation of compounds of formula i in which r is an aminoalkylpyridine . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 857 , 588 incorporated herein by references describes the preparation of 4 - hydroxyphenylthio alkanols . other compounds used in the method of the present invention are disclosed in european patent applications ep 0190685 and ep 0190682 . the compounds of the invention are evaluated with respect to 5 - lipoxygenase inhibition according to the following assay procedure . the 100 , 000 × g supernatant fraction of rat basophilic leukemia cell homogenate ( rbl - 1 ) serves as a 5 - lipoxygenase enzyme source . the enzyme is incubated with [ 1 - 14 c )- arachidonic acid and ca ++ in the presence and absence of test compound . the product of 5 - lipoxygenase , 5 - hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid ( 5 - hete ), is separated by thin - layer chromatography and measured by radioactivity . a compound inhibiting 5 - hete synthesis by 30 % or more is considered active at that concentration . initial screening doses are 1 × 10 - 4 m . when the compound inhibits more than 50 % of 5 - hete synthesis at 10 - 4 m , that compound is tested at multiple dose levels to determine the ic 50 value ( inhibitory concentration to inhibit 50 %). the compounds of the invention are evaluated with respect to superoxide modulating activity according to the following assay procedure : human neutrophil superoxide generation : superoxide generation by formyl - methionyl - leucyl - phenylalanine ( fmlp )- stimulated neutrophils was quantitated by the reduction of cytochrome c ( badwey , j . a ., curnutte , j . t . and karnovsky , m . l ., cis - polyunsaturated fatty acids induce high levels of superoxide production by human neutrophils . j . biol . chem . 256 : 12640 - 12643 , 1981 .) to 5 million neutrophils in 2 . 85 ml of krebs - ringer phosphate buffer , ph 7 . 2 , 50 ul of inhibitor ( in 10 % dmso / buffer ), and 50 ul ferricytochrome c ( 5 mm , stock ) were added and preincubated for 3 minutes at 37 ° c . absorption measurements at 550 nm were recorded at start of preincubation . fifty ul fmlp ( 6 um , stock ) was added to initiate reaction . a plateau was reached within 3 minutes and this reading -- initial reading ( before addition of fmlp ) was used to calculate nanomoles of superoxide generated based on a molar extinction coefficient of 2 . 1 × 10 4 cm - 1 mole - 1 . isolation of human neutrophils : human neutrophils were isolated from freshly drawn blood of healthy donors . two ml of 5 % dextran ( mw 200 , 000 - 300 , 000 ) in saline was added to 10 ml aliquots of blood , mixed and placed upright for 45 min . at 37 ° c . approx . 8 - 10 ml of the plasma - white cell suspension from the dextran sedimentation was layered on 3 ml of ficol - paque in a 15 ml tube and centrifuged at 400 g for 30 min . the supernate , containing plasma and platelets , was discarded by aspiration , and the pellet , containing predominantly neutrophils , was resuspended in 1 ml saline . the suspension was transferred to a clean tube , and pooled with other aliquots of blood treated similarly . the pooled suspension was centrifuged at 350 g for 5 min . and supernate discarded . the pellet was resuspended in 5 ml of 0 . 05 % nacl with a plastic pasteur pipette for 25 seconds to lyse contaminating red cells , then 5 ml of 1 . 75 % nacl added to regain isotonicity . the red cell lysing procedure was repeated , the cells suspended in appropriate buffer ( depending on assay ) and counted . for comparison the compound of formula iv , a known 5 - lipoxygenase inhibitor described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 755 , 524 was used . ## str20 ## (±)[ 2s *-[[ 3 , 5 - bis ( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - hydroxyphenyl ] thio ]- 1r *- methylpropoxy ] acetic acid the results with respect to certain compounds of the present invention are set forth in table i below . table 1______________________________________compound 5 - lipoxygenase stimulation ofexample inhibition fmlp inducednumber ic . sub . 50 ( μm ) superoxide______________________________________5 0 . 32 5 μm , 50 % & gt ; control ; 10 μm , 227 % & gt ; control7 0 . 23 stimulates at 0 . 33 3 - 20 μm8 0 . 16 5 μm , 150 % & gt ; control ; 10 μm , 206 % & gt ; control9 0 . 26 stimulates at 5 - 50 μm10 0 . 79 stimulates at 5 - 50 μmformula iv 4 . 9 inhibited superoxide generation ; ic . sub . 50 = 11 μm______________________________________ unlike the compounds of the present invention , the compound of formula iv inhibited both superoxide generation and 5 - lipoxygenase . this data indicates that superoxide generation is not dependent on 5 - lipoxygenase and that the ability of a compound to inhibit 5 - lipoxygenase is not related to its ability to simulate superoxide generation . complement c5a induced superoxide generation is also stimulated by compounds of the present invention . the following non - limiting examples further illustrate details for the preparation of the compounds used in practicing the present invention . those skilled in the art will readily understand and appreciate that known variations of the conditions and procedures in the following preparative methods can be utilized . all temperatures are degrees celsius unless otherwise noted . melting points were determined on a thomas - hoover melting point apparatus and are uncorrected . 3 , 5 - bis ( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - hydroxyphenyl thiocyanate ## str21 ## to a three - necked , round bottom 5 l flask , equipped with a mechanical stirrer , gas inlet , thermometer and gas outlet , was added 2 , 6 - di - tert - butylphenol ( 474 g , 2 . 30 mole ), ammonium thiocyanate ( 76 . 12 g , 4 . 83 mole ) and methanol ( 1200 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred and cooled to 0 ° c . in an ice / salt bath . maintaining the temperature at 0 ° to 10 ° c ., chlorine gas was slowly bubbled through the mixture for about 1 hour whereupon the reaction mixture was a heterogeneous yellow color . ammonia was then bubbled through the reaction for about 1 and 1 / 2 hours , maintaining the reaction mixture at a temperature of between 0 ° to 10 ° c . the reaction was stirred for an additional hour at 0 ° c ., poured into 2 l of cold distilled water and refrigerated overnight . the aqueous phase was decanted and the solid taken up in methanol , precipitated by addition of water , filtered and dried for 2 days over phosphorous pentoxide . the resulting gummy yellow solid was recrystallized from pentane and dried in vacuo to yield the product as a white powder , m . p . 61 . 5 °- 63 ° c . analysis calc . for c 15 h 21 nso : theory : c , 68 . 40 ; h , 8 . 03 ; n , 5 . 32 ; s , 12 . 17 . found : c , 68 . 85 ; h , 8 . 05 ; n , 5 . 29 ; s , 12 . 12 . 2 , 6 - bis ( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - mercaptophenol ## str22 ## 3 , 5 - bis ( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - hydroxyphenyl thiocyanate ( 55 g , 0 . 209 mole ) was dissolved in acetone ( 200 ml ) under an argon atmosphere . water ( 7 . 6 g , 0 . 42 mole ) was added and the reaction cooled to 0 ° c . triethylphosphine ( 24 . 7 g , 0 . 209 mole ) was added dropwise over a period of 1 hour and the reaction was then allowed to warm to room temperature with stirring . the solution was concentrated , solvents removed , and the resulting oil purified by chromatography on silica . the fractions containing the thiol were combined , the solvents removed to yield a white powder which was recrystallized from methanol / water and dried to yield 43 . 3 g of the desired product . nmr confirmed the identity of the product . acryloyl chloride ( 4 . 52 g , 0 . 05 mole ) was added dropwise to a stirring solution of triethylamine ( 30 ml ) and 2 -( β - methylaminoethyl ) pyridine ( 6 . 81 g , 0 . 05 mole ) in ethyl ether ( 500 ml ). after stirring overnight at room temperature , the white solid was removed by filtration and washed well with ethyl ether . the organic phases were combined , dried over sodium sulfate , filtered then concentrated to dryness to give an orange oil . the structure was confirmed by nmr . n - methyl - n -[ 2 -( 2 - pyridinyl ) ethyl ]- 2 - propenamide ( 0 . 95 g , 0 . 005 mole ) was dissolved in methanol ( 200 ml ) containing 2 , 6 - bis ( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - mercaptophenol ( 1 . 9 g , 0 . 005 mole ). after addition of triethylamine ( 0 . 5 ml ), the solution was stirred at room temperature overnight . the solvent was removed by a nitrogen stream to give a residue which was purified by chromatography on silica to give the title compound , m . p . ca . 82 °- 84 ° c . anal . calcd . for c 25 h 36 n 2 o 2 s ( 428 . 62 ): calc . : c , 70 . 05 ; h , 8 . 47 ; n , 6 . 54 ; s , 7 . 47 . found : c , 70 . 45 ; h , 8 . 50 ; n , 6 . 60 ; s , 7 . 55 . the title compound of example 4 , ( 2 . 0 g ) was dissolved in ethyl ether ( 400 ml ). with rapid stirring , a saturated solution of hydrogen chloride in isopropyl alcohol was added dropwise until no further precipitation occurred . the oily material was stirred for 20 hours . the ethyl ether was decanted and the residue crystallized from ethyl acetate / ethyl ether to give the title compound ( 700 mg ), m . p . ca . 153 °- 156 ° c . analysis calc for c 25 h 37 n 2 socl ( 465 . 09 ): calc . : c , 64 . 56 ; h , 8 . 02 ; n , 6 . 02 ; c1 , 7 . 62 ; s , 6 . 89 . found : c , 64 . 30 ; h , 7 . 88 ; n , 6 . 00 ; c1 , 7 . 79 ; s , 6 . 91 . a mixture of 2 , 6 - dimethylaniline ( 8 . 68 g , 0 . 0718 mole ) and triethylamine ( 15 . 3 ml ) in ethyl ether ( 250 ml ) was cooled to + 5 ° c . a solution of acryloyl chloride ( 6 . 47 g , 0 . 0716 mole ) in ethyl ether ( 25 ml ) was added dropwise with stirring over a 20 minute period . the solution was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 72 hours . 10 percent hydrochloric acid ( 150 ml ) was added and the layers separated . the acid layer was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 150 ml ), combined , washed with water ( 150 ml ), dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and the solvents evaporated . the solid was taken up in hot ethyl acetate and recrystallized from hexane to yield the title compound , m . p . ca . 143 . 5 °- 145 . 0 ° c . analysis calc . for c ii h 13 no ( 175 . 23 ): calc . : c , 75 . 40 ; h , 7 . 48 ; n , 7 . 99 . found : c , 75 . 25 ; h , 7 . 51 ; n , 7 . 79 . 2 , 6 - bis -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - mercaptophenol ( 1 . 19 g , 0 . 005 mole ), n -( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl )- 2 - propenamide ( 0 . 87 g , 0 . 005 mole ) and triethylamine ( 0 . 5 ml ) in methanol ( 100 ml ) were stirred at room temperature under argon for 12 hours . the solvent and triethylamine were removed on a rotary evaporator and the product purified by chromatography on silica . the solvents were removed and the product recrystallized from ethyl acetate / hexane , filtered and dried in vacuo to yield the title compound , m . p . ca . 142 . 5 °- 144 ° c . analysis calc . : for c 25 h 35 nso 2 ( 413 . 62 ): calc . : c , 72 . 60 ; h , 8 . 53 ; s , 7 . 75 ; n , 3 . 39 . found : c , 72 . 28 ; h , 8 . 75 ; s , 7 . 80 ; n , 3 . 37 . 2 , 6 - bis -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - mercaptophenol ( 1 . 52 g , 0 . 0064 mole ), 1 -( 1 - oxo - 2 - propenyl )- 4 - phenylmethyl ) piperazine ( 1 . 47 g , 0 . 0064 mole ) and triethylamine ( 0 . 5 ml ) were dissolved in 150 ml of methanol and stirred at room temperature for 12 hours . the solvent was removed on a rotary evaporator , and the reaction chromatographed on silica gel . the product was recrystallized from ethyl acetate and hexane . the resulting white solid was filtered and dried overnight in a vacuum pistol at room temperature , m . p . about 92 . 5 °- 95 ° c ., ( 468 . 70 ). analysis calc . for c 28 h 40 n 2 so 2 : calc . : c , 71 . 75 ; h , 8 . 60 ; n , 5 . 98 ; s , 6 . 84 . found : c , 71 . 67 ; h , 8 . 69 ; n , 6 . 04 ; s , 6 . 87 . 3 -[[ 3 , 5 - bis ( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - hydroxyphenyl ] thio ] propanol ( 2 . 0 g , prepared as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 857 , 558 ) was dissolved in 20 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran under argon and added to 8 . 5 ml of 2m isopropylmagnesium chloride in tetrahydrofuran that had previously been added under argon gas to a flask that had been dried in vacuo overnight . reaction temperature was maintained at 10 °- 15 ° c . with an ice bath . when addition was complete , the reaction mixture was allowed warm to room temperature and stirred for 3 hours . 2n hydrochloric acid ( 2 ml ) was added followed by 50 ml of water and the mixture extracted with ethyl acetate three times . the organic extracts were combined , washed with water twice and dried over sodium sulfate . the solvent was removed in vacuo after filtration and the crude product chromatographed on silica to give the title compound . analysis calc . for c 20 h 34 o 2 s ( 338 . 54 ): calc . : c , 70 . 96 ; h , 10 . 12 ; s , 9 . 47 . found : c , 71 . 29 ; h , 10 . 25 ; s , 9 . 43 . 5 ml of 2 . 0m isopropylmagnesium bromide in tetrahydrofuran was cooled in an ice bath and a solution of 4 -[[ 3 , 5 - bis ( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 4 - hydroxyphenyl ] thio ]- 2 - butanone ( prepared as in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 857 , 558 ) ( 750 mg ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 25 ml ) was added dropwise under argon and the reaction mixture treated by the method of example 9 to give the title compound . analysis calc . for c 21 h 36 o 2 s ( 352 . 52 ): calc . : c , 71 . 54 ; h , 10 . 29 ; s , 9 . 09 . found : c , 71 . 44 ; h , 10 . 11 ; s , 9 . 36 .