Radical 8- alkyl

The well-known ability of alkyl groups to stabilize the carbonium ion character of an attached carbon is also demonstrated dramatically 

Although it is not our purpose here to enter the hyperconjugation controversy centered on the stabilizing effect of alkyl groups on carbon-ium ions, some comments should be made. A simple plot of the ionization potential data in Table II a nst Taft s r values (22) for inductive substituents reveals an excellent linear correlation 

Effect of /3-Methyl Substitution on Ionization Potentials of Alkyl Radicals 

The equivalent resonance structures Ila and Ilb show the distribution of positive charge in allyl cation between the terminal positions. Positive character is acquired by the central carbon only by inductive effects or by structures such as lie which are of rather high energy  

The relative /-values for the alkyl radicals discussed so far show a strong parallel with relative carbonium ion reactivities in solution. 

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Rabinovitch B S and Setser D W 1964 Unimolecular decomposition and some isotope effects of simple alkanes and alkyl radicals Adv. Photochem. 3 1-82... 

Fessenden R W and Schuler R H 1963 Electron spin resonance studies of transient alkyl radicals J. Chem. Phys. 39 2147-95... 

In the case of alkyl radicals [e.g., methyl radical (197, 198) and cyclohexyl radical (198)], their nucleophilic behaviour enhances the reactivity of the 2-position. Here it is necessary to have full protonation of the nitrogen atom and to use specific solvents and radical sources. 

The free radicals that we usually see in carbon chemistry are much less stable than these Simple alkyl radicals for example require special procedures for their isolation and study We will encounter them here only as reactive intermediates formed m one step of a reaction mechanism and consumed m the next Alkyl radicals are classified as primary secondary or tertiary according to the number of carbon atoms directly attached to the carbon that bears the unpaired electron... 

An alkyl radical is neutral and has one more electron than the corresponding carbocation Thus bonding m methyl radical may be approximated by simply adding an electron to the vacant 2p orbital of sp hybridized carbon m methyl cation (Figure 4 19a) Alternatively we could assume that carbon is sp hybridized and place the unpaired elec tron m an sp orbital (Figure 4 9b)... 

Of the two extremes experimental studies indicate that the planar sp model describes the bonding m alkyl radicals better than the pyramidal sp model Methyl rad ical IS planar and more highly substituted radicals such as tert butyl radical are flattened pyramids closer m shape to that expected for sp hybridized carbon than for sp ... 

We assess the relative stability of alkyl radicals by measuring the enthalpy change (AH°) for the homolytic cleavage of a C—H bond m an alkane... 

Chlorination of methane and halogenation of alkanes generally proceed by way of free radical intermediates Alkyl radicals are neutral and have an unpaired electron on carbon... 

Addition of a bromine atom to C 1 gives a secondary alkyl radical... 

A secondary alkyl radical is more stable than a primary radical Bromine therefore adds to C 1 of 1 butene faster than it adds to C 2 Once the bromine atom has added to the double bond the regioselectivity of addition is set The alkyl radical then abstracts a hydrogen atom from hydrogen bromide to give the alkyl bromide product as shown m... 

The regioselectivity of addition of HBr to alkenes under normal (electrophilic addi tion) conditions is controlled by the tendency of a proton to add to the double bond so as to produce the more stable carbocatwn Under free radical conditions the regioselec tivity IS governed by addition of a bromine atom to give the more stable alkyl radical Free radical addition of hydrogen bromide to the double bond can also be initiated photochemically either with or without added peroxides... 

The degree to which allylic radicals are stabilized by delocalization of the unpaired electron causes reactions that generate them to proceed more readily than those that give simple alkyl radicals Compare for example the bond dissociation energies of the pri mary C—H bonds of propane and propene... 

Having gamed one electron the alkyl halide is now negatively chaiged and has an odd numbei of elections It is an anion radical The extra electron occupies an antibondmg oibital This anion radical fragments to an alkyl radical and a halide anion... 

Anion radical Alkyl radical Halide anion... 

Following fragmentation the alkyl radical rapidly combines with a lithium atom to foim the oiganometalhc compound... 

Mass Spectrometry Ethers like alcohols lose an alkyl radical from their molecular ion to give an oxygen stabilized cation Thus m/z 73 and m/z 87 are both more abun dant than the molecular ion m the mass spectrum of sec butyl ethyl ether... 

As the temperature approaches the NTC zone, the reversibility of reaction 2 comes into play and the steady-state concentration of alkyl radicals rises. There is a competing irreversible reaction of oxygen with radicals containing an alpha hydrogen which produces a conjugate olefin (eq. 23). 

As the temperature is increased through the NTC zone, the contribution of alkylperoxy radicals falls. Littie alkyl hydroperoxide is made and hydrogen peroxide decomposition makes a greater contribution to radical generation. Eventually the rate goes through a minimum. At this point, reaction 2 is highly displaced to the left and alkyl radicals are the dominant radical species. 

At the higher temperatures a decomposition of alkyl radicals, which is an olefin-producing variation of the -scission reaction, becomes competitive with reaction 23 (or sequence 2, 24) ... 

The similarity of oxidation rates of different hydrocarbons in the higher temperature regions is probably related to the predominance of alkyl radical cracking reactions under these conditions (reaction 28). The products of such reactions would be similar for most common hydrocarbons (96). 

The extent of decarboxylation primarily depends on temperature, pressure, and the stabihty of the incipient R- radical. The more stable the R- radical, the faster and more extensive the decarboxylation. With many diacyl peroxides, decarboxylation and oxygen—oxygen bond scission occur simultaneously in the transition state. Acyloxy radicals are known to form initially only from diacetyl peroxide and from dibenzoyl peroxides (because of the relative instabihties of the corresponding methyl and phenyl radicals formed upon decarboxylation). Diacyl peroxides derived from non-a-branched carboxyhc acids, eg, dilauroyl peroxide, may also initially form acyloxy radical pairs however, these acyloxy radicals decarboxylate very rapidly and the initiating radicals are expected to be alkyl radicals. Diacyl peroxides are also susceptible to induced decompositions ... 

Diperoxyketals. Some commercially available di(/ f2 -alkylperoxy)ketals and their corresponding 10-h half-life temperatures (deterrnined in dodecane) are hsted in Table 5 (39). Diperoxyketals thermally decompose by cleavage of only one oxygen—oxygen bond initially, usually foUowed by P-scission of the resulting alkoxy radicals (40). For acychc diperoxyketals, P-scission produces an alkyl radical and a peroxyester. 

Because high temperatures are required to decompose diaLkyl peroxides at useful rates, P-scission of the resulting alkoxy radicals is more rapid and more extensive than for most other peroxide types. When methyl radicals are produced from alkoxy radicals, the diaLkyl peroxide precursors are very good initiators for cross-linking, grafting, and degradation reactions. When higher alkyl radicals such as ethyl radicals are produced, the diaLkyl peroxides are useful in vinyl monomer polymerizations. 

A20 initiators decompose thermally by cleavage of the two carbon—nitrogen bonds, either stepwise or simultaneously, to form two alkyl radicals and a nitrogen molecule ... 

Alkylation of cyclohexane with isoprene can be carried out with alkyl radicals formed at 450°C and 20.3 MPa (200 atm) (73). 40% Pentenylcyclohexanes, 20% dipentenes (ie, substances having the general formula C qH ), and 40% higher boiling compounds are obtained using a 6.8 molar ratio of cyclohexane to isoprene and a space velocity of 2.5. Of the pentenylcyclohexanes, the head and tail products are in equal amounts. Even... 

An important side reaction in all free-radical nitrations is reaction 10, in which unstable alkyl nitrites are formed (eq. 10). They decompose to form nitric oxide and alkoxy radicals (eq. 11) which form oxygenated compounds and low molecular weight alkyl radicals which can form low molecular weight nitroparaffins by reactions 7 or 9. The oxygenated hydrocarbons often react further to produce even lighter oxygenated products, carbon oxides, and water. 

Alkoxy radicals from hydroperoxides can undergo a -scission reaction (eq. 2) to yield an alkyl radical and a ketone. The higher stabiUty of the generated alkyl radical compared to that of the parent alkoxy radical provides the driving force for this reaction, and the R group involved is the one that forms the most stable alkyl radical. 

Other compounds, eg, azoalkanes, acetone, etc, that yield alkyl radicals either thermally or by uv irradiation have been used with molecular oxygen to prepare alkyl hydroperoxides (r56). 

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