Carbon-centered radical, reactions

Instead of alkyl nitrite, other alkoxyl radical precursors such as ROOH, ROOR, ROI, ROC1, etc. can also be used for the same type of reaction. The high reactivity of these compounds comes from the weak bond dissociation energies in O-O, 0-1, and O-Cl bonds. Another simple method is as follows. Photolytical treatment of alcohol (5) with NIS (AModosuccinimide) provides the tetrahydrofuran skeleton (6), through the formation of alkyl hypoiodite (ROI), homolytic cleavage of the 0-1 bond to form an alkoxyl radical, 1,5-H shift to form a carbon-centered radical, reaction with ROI to form 8-iodoalcohol, and finally ionic cyclization to form a tetrahydrofuran skeleton, together... 

The most well-known function of thiols (RSH) in free-radical biology is the repair of damage by donating a hydrogen atom, e.g. in repairing a carbon-centered radical [reaction (1)]... 

Carbon-centered radicals generally react very rapidly with oxygen to generate peroxy radicals (eq. 2). The peroxy radicals can abstract hydrogen from a hydrocarbon molecule to yield a hydroperoxide and a new radical (eq. 3). This new radical can participate in reaction 2 and continue the chain. Reactions 2 and 3 are the propagation steps. Except under oxygen starved conditions, reaction 3 is rate limiting. 

Carbon-centered radicals generated by Barton s thiohydroxamate method can also participate in ring-forming reactions (see Scheme 26).52b,s3 For example, irradiation of 129 results in the formation of compound 130 (82% yield). The outcome of this transformation is reminiscent of Stork s elegant radical cyclization/trapping processes (see Schemes 7 and 8), in that/botn alkene carbon atoms have become functionalized. / I... 

Carbon-centered radicals have been shown to undergo addition reactions with azirine-3-carboxylates. Methyl 2-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)azirine-2-carboxylate thus reacts with alkyl and aryl iodides in the presence of triethylborane to give aziridines in good yields. The radical approaches from the opposite face to the aryl substituent, giving the cis products as single diastereoisomers (Scheme 4.43) [63],... 

Most radicals are transient species. They (e.%. 1-10) decay by self-reaction with rates at or close to the diffusion-controlled limit (Section 1.4). This situation also pertains in conventional radical polymerization. Certain radicals, however, have thermodynamic stability, kinetic stability (persistence) or both that is conferred by appropriate substitution. Some well-known examples of stable radicals are diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitroxides such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-A -oxyl (TEMPO), triphenylniethyl radical (13) and galvinoxyl (14). Some examples of carbon-centered radicals which are persistent but which do not have intrinsic thermodynamic stability are shown in Section 1.4.3.2. These radicals (DPPH, TEMPO, 13, 14) are comparatively stable in isolation as solids or in solution and either do not react or react very slowly with compounds usually thought of as substrates for radical reactions. They may, nonetheless, react with less stable radicals at close to diffusion controlled rates. In polymer synthesis these species find use as inhibitors (to stabilize monomers against polymerization or to quench radical reactions - Section 5,3.1) and as reversible termination agents (in living radical polymerization - Section 9.3). 

The hydrogen abstraction addition ratio is generally greater in reactions of heteroatom-centered radicals than it is with carbon-centered radicals. One factor is the relative strengths of the bonds being formed and broken in the two reactions (Table 1.6). The difference in exothermicity (A) between abstraction and addition reactions is much greater for heteroatom-centered radicals than it is for carbon-centered radicals. For example, for an alkoxy as opposed to an alkyl radical, abstraction is favored over addition by ca 30 kJ mol"1. The extent to which this is reflected in the rates of addition and abstraction will, however, depend on the particular substrate and the other influences discussed above. 

The last comprehensive review of reactions between carbon-centered radicals appeared in 1973.142 Rate constants for radical-radical reactions in the liquid phase have been tabulated by Griller.14 The area has also been reviewed by Alfassi114 and Moad and Solomon.145 Radical-radical reactions arc, in general, very exothermic and activation barriers are extremely small even for highly resonance-stabilized radicals. As a consequence, reaction rate constants often approach the diffusion-controlled limit (typically -109 M 1 s"1). 

The latter pathway is rare for reactions involving only carbon-centered radicals and will not be considered further in this chapter. 

The combination of carbon-centered radicals usually involves head-to-head (a,a ) coupling. Exceptions to this general rule occur where the free spin can be delocalized into a n-system. The classic example involves the triphenylmethyl radical (13) which combines to give exclusively the a-para coupling product (26), Scheme I.8).27 This chemistry is also seen in cross reactions of 13 with other tertiary radicals.146... 

Reactions between carbon-centered radicals generally give a mixture of disproportionation and combination. Much effort has been put into establishing the relative importance of these processes. The ratio of disproportionation to combination (kt /k]t ) is dependent on the structural features of the radicals involved and generally shows only minor variation with solvent, pressure, temperature, etc. 

In this section wc consider the properties and reactions of three classes of carbon-centered radicals alkyl radicals (3.4. l.l), aryl radicals (3.4.1,2) and acyl radicals (3.4.1.3). 

Rate constants tor reactions of carbon-centered radicals tor the period through 1982 have been compiled by Lorand340 and Asmus and Bonifacio- 50 and for 1982-1992 by Roduner and Crocket.3 1 The recent review of Fischer and Radom should also be consulted.j41 Absolute rate constants for reaction with most monomers lie in the range 105-106 M"1 s"1. Rate data for reaction of representative primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl radicals with various monomers are summarized in Table 3.6. 

Table 3.6 Kinetic Data for Reactions of Carbon-Centered Radicals...

Absolute rate constants for the attack of aryl radicals on a variety of substrates have been reported by Scaiano and Stewart (Ph ) 7 and Citterio at al. (/j-CIPh-).379,384 The reactions are extremely facile in comparison with additions of other carbon-centered radicals [e.g. jfc(S) = 1.1x10s M"1 s"1 at 25 °C].3,7 Relative reactivities are available for a wider range of monomers and other substrates (Tabic 3.b). Phenyl radicals do not show clear cut electrophilic or... 

Aliphatic acyloxy radicals undergo facile fragmentation with loss of carbon dioxide (Scheme 3,69) and, with few exceptions,428 do not have sufficient lifetime to enable direct reaction with monomers or other substrates. The rate constants for decarboxylation of aliphatic acyloxy radicals are in the range l 10xl09 M 1 s at 20 °C.429 lister end groups in polymers produced with aliphatic diacyl peroxides as initiators most likely arise by transfer to initiator (see 3.3.2.1,4). The chemistry of the carbon-centered radicals formed by (3-scission of acyloxy radicals is discussed above (see 3.4.1). 

Alkylperoxy radicals are generated by the reactions of carbon-centered radicals with oxygen and in the induced decomposition of hydroperoxides (Scheme 3.82). Their reactions have been reviewed by Howard452 and rate constants for their self reaction and for their reaction with a variety of substrates including various inhibitors have been tabulated.453... 

Time resolved EPR spectroscopy and UV-visible spectophotometry have proved invaluable in determining the absolute rate constants for radical-monomer reactions. The results of many of these studies are summarized in the Tables included in the previous section (3.4), Absolute rate constants for the reactions of carbon-centered radicals are reported in Table 3.6. These include t-butyl374 and cyanoisopropyP2 radicals. 

The reaction between nitroxides and carbon-centered radicals occurs at near (but not at) diffusion controlled rates. Rate constants and Arrhenius parameters for coupling of nitroxides and various carbon-centered radicals have been determined.508 311 The rate constants (20 °C) for the reaction of TEMPO with primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl and benzyl radicals are 1.2, 1.0, 0.8 and 0.5x109 M 1 s 1 respectively. The corresponding rate constants for reaction of 115 are slightly higher. If due allowance is made for the afore-mentioned sensitivity to radical structure510 and some dependence on reaction conditions,511 the reaction can be applied as a clock reaction to estimate rate constants for reactions between carbon-centered radicals and monomers504 506"07312 or other substrates.20... 

Common inhibitors include stable radicals (Section 5.3.1), oxygen (5.3.2), certain monomers (5.3.3), phenols (5.3.4), quinones (5.3.5), phenothiazine (5.3.6), nitro and nitroso-compounds (5.3.7) and certain transition metal salts (5.3.8). Some inhibition constants (kjkp) are provided in Table 5.6. Absolute rate constants (kj) for the reactions of these species with simple carbon-centered radicals arc summarized in Tabic 5.7. 

Tabic 5.7 Absolute Rate Constants k2) for the Reaction of Carbon-Centered Radicals with Some Common Inhibitors... 

The role of oxygen in radical and other polymerizations has been reviewed by Rhanu and Kishore.187 Rate constants for the reaction of carbon-centered radicals with oxygen are extremely fast, generally - 1 d" M 1 s 1.181,188 The initially formed... 

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