Aryl telluroformates as precursors of oxyacyl and alkyl radicals

5 Aryl telluroformates as precursors of oxyacyl and alkyl radicals 

Photolysis at room temperature of aryl telluroformates gives rise to oxoacyl radicals, which can be trapped with diphenyl diselenides giving the corresponding phenyl seleno-formates.  

Each of the reactions was performed in NMR tubes and a half-life of 15, 11 and 14, 10 and 6 h was found for methyl, primary alkyl, c-hexyl and benzyl, and phenyl tellurofor-mate. 

In contrast, thermolysis of the telluroformates at 160°C in the dark leads to the formation of alkyl aryltellurides in good yields, presumably through the transient oxyacyl 

Some runs have been performed in preparation scale. 

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