Alkenes, radical halogenation cleavage

In these reactions (Scheme 3.1), the first electron addition is to the alkene giving a radical-anion. This interacts with the alkyl halide to transfer an electron, in a process driven by simultaneous cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond. The alkyl radical formed in this manner adds an alkene radical-anion [25]. Aluminium ions generated at the anode are essential to the overall process. They coordinate with the intermediate carbanion, which then interacts with the second halogen substituent in an Sn2 process to form the carbocycle. 

Ester- and amide-substituted radicals bearing an adjacent stereocenter abstract hydrogen with high diastereoselectivity1. The radicals are generated via intra- or intermolecular radical addition to alkenes, halogen abstraction from alkyl halides or reductive cleavage of alkylmercury compounds. Some examples are shown in Table 1. 

In Summary Fragmentation patterns can be interpreted for structural elucidation. For example, the radical cations of alkanes cleave to form the most stable positively charged fragments, haloalkanes fragment by rupture of the carbon-halogen bond, alcohols readily dehydrate and undergo a cleavage, and alkenes break an allylic bond to form a resonance-stabilized carbocation. 

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