Propargyl nitroxides and indanyl nitroxides and their use for the treatment of neurologic diseases and disorders

Disclosed are compounds having the structure: wherein Z is -OH or -O.; and A is: wherein X and Y are independently NR1 or O, where R1 is H or C1-C4 alkyl; and R2 is H, C1-C4 alkyl or t-butoxycarbonyl, wherein W is C3-C4 alkynyl; and R1 is H or C1-C4 alkyl, or wherein R1 is H, C1-C4 alkyl, or C3-C4 alkynyl; and R3 is H, OH, O(C1-C4 alkyl), or a halogen, optically active enantiomers, pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds or salts, and processes for their preparation. The subject invention also provides methods of alleviating symptoms of neurologic, autoimmune, and inflammatory disorders caused by the presence of reactive oxygen species, methods of preventing oxidation of lipids, proteins, or deoxyribonucleic acids on a cellular level, and methods of protecting human red blood cells from lysis by O2 radicals.