Alkyl radicals compared

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... 

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. 

The detection of free radicals from such Grignard reactions using anthracene as a scavenger has been studied recently (90). The extremely unstable silver alkyls resulting from the treatment of lead alkyls with silver nitrate decompose rather easily to yield alkyl radicals (compare behavior of isobut-1-enylsilver) (51, 52). 

Affinities toward other alkyl radicals have also been measured by Szwarc and his co-workers using techniques similar to those described above, It is interesting to compare the affinities of naphthalene with those of quinoline toward methyl, ethyl, and n-propyl radicals (Table X). 

The enhanced selectivity of alkane bromination over chlorination can be explained by turning once again to the Hammond postulate. In comparing the abstractions of an alkane hydrogen by Cl- and Br- radicals, reaction with Br- is less exergonic. As a result, the transition state for bromination resembles the alkyl radical more closely than does the transition state for chlorination, and the stability of that radical is therefore more important for bromination than for chlorination. 

Problem 16.20 Refer to Table 5.3 on page 156 for a quantitative idea of the stability of a benzyl radical. How much more stable (in kj/mol) is the benzyl radical than a primary alkyl radical How does a benzyl radical compare in stability to an allyl radical ... 

Giese and Feix65 examined the temperature dependence of the relative reactivity of fumarodinitrilc and methyl a-chloroacrylatc towards a scries of alkyl radicals (Scheme 1.6). The temperature dependence was such that they predicted that the order of reactivity of the radicals would be reversed for temperatures above 280 K (the isosclcctivc temperature - Figure 1.3). This finding clearly indicates the need for care when comparing relative reactivity data.66... 

Thus alkyl radicals do not give unwanted end-group functionality and the kinetics of initiation arc comparatively uncomplicated. However, this situation can be perturbed by substitution at or near the radical center. 

The hydrogen abstraction from the Si-H moiety of silanes is fundamentally important for these reactions. Kinetic studies have been performed with many types of silicon hydrides and with a large variety of radicals and been reviewed periodically. The data can be interpreted in terms of the electronic properties of the silanes imparted by substituents for each attacking radical. In brevity, we compared in Figure 1 the rate constants of hydrogen abstraction from a variety of reducing systems by primary alkyl radicals at ca. 80°C. ... 

A mixture of water/pyridine appears to be the solvent of choice to aid carbenium ion formation [246]. In the Hofer-Moest reaction the formation of alcohols is optimized by adding alkali bicarbonates, sulfates [39] or perchlorates. In methanol solution the presence of a small amount of sodium perchlorate shifts the decarboxylation totally to the carbenium ion pathway [31]. The structure of the carboxylate can also support non-Kolbe electrolysis. By comparing the products of the electrolysis of different carboxylates with the ionization potentials of the corresponding radicals one can draw the conclusion that alkyl radicals with gas phase ionization potentials smaller than 8 e V should be oxidized to carbenium ions [8 c] in the course of Kolbe electrolysis. This gives some indication in which cases preferential carbenium ion formation or radical dimerization is to be expected. Thus a-alkyl, cycloalkyl [, ... 

On the other hand, comparative analysis of Fi variables gave the relative reduction of SOS-response in preincubated with AR bacterial cells (Table 3). So, repression SOS-response was proportionally to the length of the AR alkyl radical and was Fi = 3.7 (for Ce-AR) and Fi = 7.0 (for C12-AR) that 76.43-40.40 fold lower than the SOS-system activation level in cells exposured only by UV radiation. With reduction of the AR concentration to lO- M is still observed statistically significant differences in the values of induction index (Fi) of the control and experimental samples, although the repression of SOS-response was less expressed. An increase of the AR concentration up to 1(>3 M in the case of Ci-AR and C3-AR led to some suppression, and for the C5-, Ca- and C12-AR to increase the values of R. 

However, a comparison of the line shape of the observed spectra with spectra of methyl radicals (Fig. lib) clearly proves that the species present here are not methyl radicals. The EPR spectrum of a methyl radical is a quartet of lines. However, the observed spectrum, though dominated by a quartet structure, shows a couple of additional lines pointing to additional interactions of the unpaired electron. By comparing the observed line shape to other alkyl radicals it turned out that the present spectrum can be attributed to ethyl radicals. Figure 11c shows the EPR spectrum of ethyl radicals created in an ethylchloride matrix generated by photolysis for comparison [121]. 

Small amounts of cyclized products are obtained after the preparation of Grignard reagents from 5-hexenyl bromide.9 This indicates that cyclization of the intermediate radical competes to a small extent with combination of the radical with the metal. Quantitative kinetic models that compare competing processes are consistent with diffusion of the radicals from the surface.10 Alkyl radicals can be trapped with high efficiency by the nitroxide radical TMPO.11 Nevertheless, there remains disagreement about the extent to which the radicals diffuse away from the metal surface.12... 

Studies have been carried out on the methylated complex [H3C-Niin(17)(H20)]2+, which is obtained from the reaction of methyl radicals (generated by pulse radiolysis) with [Ni(17)]2+. The volumes of activation are consistent with the coherent formation of Ni—C and Ni—OH2 bonds, as expected for the generation of a Ni111 complex from a square planar Ni11 precursor.152 The kinetics of reactions of [H3C-Niin(17)(H20)] + involving homolysis, 02 insertion and methyl transfer to Crn(aq) have been determined, and intermediates have been considered relevant as models for biological systems.153 Comparing different alkyl radicals, rate constants for the... 

M. x 108M 1s 1 at 25°C, but may be appreciably lower in the solid state. In comparison k2 for oxygen competition for the alkyl radical is 2 x 109M-1s 1. Thus for air-saturated PPH ([02] 8 x 10-1,M)reaction7 will be protection against xenon irradiation was improved as compared to the parent piperidine by about 25, but the nitroxide itself was reduced to the 1 x 10 M level within the first lOOh and persisted at this level until brittle failure (7,) In contrast the parent amine is completely destroyed in the first lOOh of xenon exposure. 

For the series of -branched alkyl radicals, the second-order rate constant in eq 3 is relatively unaffected by steric effects [compare Figure 2 (right)] as expected for an outer-sphere process. In strong contrast, the rate constant kL for ligand substitution in eq 21 is adversely affected by increasing steric effects, as shown in Figure 17. 

The phenomena of relatively high activity of alkyl radical acceptors as antioxidants in solid polymer media seems to be the result of a line peculiarities of free radical reactions in the polymer matrix. Let us compare the features of these reactions in solution and polymer media. 

However when bulkier phenyl groups are present as in 1,2 diphenyl ethylene (also called stilbene) the equilibrium mixture at room temperature contains several thousand times the trans form as compared to the cis. This is because of the energy difference between the two. But these empirical generalizations hold good only when the groups in question are alkyl radicals. For example the cis 1,2 dichloroethylene is more stable than trans. This is not very well understood at present. 

For the primary and secondary a-alkoxy radicals 24 and 29, the rate constants for reaction with Bu3SnH are about an order of magnitude smaller than those for reactions of the tin hydride with alkyl radicals, whereas for the secondary a-ester radical 30 and a-amide radicals 28 and 31, the tin hydride reaction rate constants are similar to those of alkyl radicals. Because the reductions in C-H BDE due to alkoxy, ester, and amide groups are comparable, the exothermicities of the H-atom transfer reactions will be similar for these types of radicals and cannot be the major factor resulting in the difference in rates. Alternatively, some polarization in the transition states for the H-atom transfer reactions would explain the kinetic results. The electron-rich tin hydride reacts more rapidly with the electron-deficient a-ester and a-amide radicals than with the electron-rich a-alkoxy radicals. 

Lund and coworkers [131] pioneered the use of aromatic anion radicals as mediators in a study of the catalytic reduction of bromobenzene by the electrogenerated anion radical of chrysene. Other early investigations involved the catalytic reduction of 1-bromo- and 1-chlorobutane by the anion radicals of trans-stilhene and anthracene [132], of 1-chlorohexane and 6-chloro-l-hexene by the naphthalene anion radical [133], and of 1-chlorooctane by the phenanthrene anion radical [134]. Simonet and coworkers [135] pointed out that a catalytically formed alkyl radical can react with an aromatic anion radical to form an alkylated aromatic hydrocarbon. Additional, comparatively recent work has centered on electron transfer between aromatic anion radicals and l,2-dichloro-l,2-diphenylethane [136], on reductive coupling of tert-butyl bromide with azobenzene, quinoxaline, and anthracene [137], and on the reactions of aromatic anion radicals with substituted benzyl chlorides [138], with... 

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