Bromine radical halogenation with

Selectivity in Radical Halogenation with Fluorine and Bromine CHAPTER 3... 

SELECTIVITY IN RADICAL HALOGENATION WITH FLUORINE AND BROMINE... 

N Bromosuccimmide provides a low concentration of molecular bromine which reacts with alkenes by a mechanism analogous to that of other free radical halogenations... 

Alkyl side chains in both pyrazines and quinoxalines are susceptible to halogenation by elemental halogens (28JCS1960, 68TL5931) and under radical conditions with NBS (72JOC511). Thus, bromination of 2-methylquinoxaline with bromine in the presence of sodium acetate... 

Simple alkyl halides can be prepared by radical halogenation of alkanes, but mixtures of products usually result. The reactivity order of alkanes toward halogenation is identical to the stability order of radicals R3C- > R2CH- > RCH2-. Alkyl halides can also be prepared from alkenes by reaction with /V-bromo-succinimide (NBS) to give the product of allylic bromination. The NBS bromi-nation of alkenes takes place through an intermediate allylic radical, which is stabilized by resonance. 

A number of other methods exist for the a halogenation of carboxylic acids or their derivatives. Acyl halides can be a brominated or chlorinated by use of NBS or NCS and HBr or HCl. The latter is an ionic, not a free-radical halogenation (see 14-2). Direct iodination of carboxylic acids has been achieved with I2—Cu acetate in HOAc. " ° Acyl chlorides can be a iodinated with I2 and a trace of HI. Carboxylic esters can be a halogenated by conversion to their enolate ions with lithium A-isopropylcyclohexylamide in THF and treatment of this solution at -78°C with... 

Bromination of an optically active form of the corresponding chloro compound (l-chloro-2-methylbutane) also results in an optically active product, and retention of configuration. It may be that an actual bridged radical is formed, but a somewhat less concrete interaction seems more likely, as halogenation with the more reactive chlorine is found to lead wholly to racemisation. 

Free-radical halogenation of hydrocarbons induced thermally or photochemically can be performed with all four halogens, each exhibiting certain specificities. Because of the thermodynamics of the process, however, only chlorination (and bromination) are of practical importance.31,106-108 Fluorination with elemental fluorine is also possible. This reaction, as discussed above (see Section 10.1.1), follows an electrophilic mechanism in the solution phase.109,110 Under specific conditions, however, free-radical fluorination can be performed. 

Stratospheric Ozone depletion is largely due to chlorine and bromine radicals released from halogenated hydrocarbons. This paper describes properties, emission histories and budgets of relevant substances and outlines the pertinent photochemical processes, along with a comprehensive presentation of halocarbon measurements and global distributions. 

Side-chain halogenation is illustrated also by the bromination of p-nitrotoluene (Expt 6.28). The radical mechanism with molecular bromine is similar to that of chlorination above N-bromosuccinimide has also found use as a side-chain brominating reagent and its application is described in Expts 6.119 and 6.152. 

Although free-radical halogenation is a poor synthetic method in most cases, free-radical bromination of alkenes can be carried out in a highly selective manner. An allylic position is a carbon atom next to a carbon-carbon double bond. Allylic intermediates (cations, radicals, and anions) are stabilized by resonance with the double bond, allowing the charge or radical to be delocalized. The following bond dissociation enthalpies show that less energy is required to form a resonance-stabilized primary allylic radical than a typical secondary radical. 

The mechanism is similar to other free-radical halogenations. A bromine radical abstracts an allylic hydrogen atom to give a resonance-stabilized allylic radical. This radical reacts with Br2, regenerating a bromine radical that continues the chain reaction. 

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