Carbon-centered radicals primary/secondary/tertiary

The Arrhenius frequency factors [log(T/M V)] for addition of carbon centered radicals to the unsubstiUited terminus of monosubslituted or 1,1-disubstituted olefins cover a limited range (6.0-9.0), depend primarily on the steric demand of the attacking radical and are generally unaffected by remote alkene substituents. Typical values of log(T/M" V) are ca 6.5 for tertiary polymeric (e.g. PMMA ), ca 7.0 for secondary polymeric (PS, PMA, and ca 7.5, 8.0 and 8.5 for small tertiary (e.g. /-C4H9 ), secondary (i-CiH ) and primary (CHj, CbHs ) radicals respectively (Section 4.5.4).4 For 1,2,2-trisubstituted alkenes the frequency factors arc about an order of magnitude lower.4 The trend in values is consistent with expectation based on Iheoretical calculations. 

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. 

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... 

N-Alkoxylamines 88 are a class of initiators in "living" radical polymerization (Scheme 14). A new methodology for their synthesis mediated by (TMSlsSiH has been developed. The method consists of the trapping of alkyl radicals generated in situ by stable nitroxide radicals. To accomplish this simple reaction sequence, an alkyl bromide or iodide 87 was treated with (TMSlsSiH in the presence of thermally generated f-BuO radicals. The reaction is not a radical chain process and stoichiometric quantities of the radical initiator are required. This method allows the generation of a variety of carbon-centered radicals such as primary, secondary, tertiary, benzylic, allylic, and a-carbonyl, which can be trapped with various nitroxides. 

FIGURE 5.1 RSEs for primary, secondary, and tertiary carbon-centered radicals at 298.15 K, calculated according to Equation 5.3 (all in kJ/mol). 

The nucleophilicity of O2 - toward primary alkyl halides (Scheme 7-2) results in an Sn2 displacement of halide ion from the carbon center. The normal reactivity order, benzyl>primary>secondary>tertiary, and leaving-group order, I>Br>OTs>Cl, are observed, as are the expected stereoselectivity and inversion at the carbon center. In dimethylformamide the final product is the dialkyl peroxide. The peroxy radical (ROO), which is produced in the primary step and has been detected by spin trapping,25 is an oxidant that is readily reduced by O2 -to form the peroxy anion (ROO ). Because the latter can oxygenate Me2SO to its sulphone, the main product in this solvent is the alcohol (ROH) rather than the dialkyl peroxide. 

In summary, all measures of relative radical stability have strengths and weaknesses and should be used cautiously (for a detailed discussion of this problem, see Reference 17). Nonetheless, for simple n-type carbon-centered radicals these problems are relatively minor and a recent study has shown that all of the above schemes predict essentially the same structure-stability trends across a very broad range of primary, secondary, and tertiary carbon-centered radicals. The standard RSE is the most widely used measure of relative radical stability and is the main focus of this chapter. In general, such RSEs are expected to provide an excellent qualitative guide and a reasonable quantitative guide to relative radical stabilities however, it is important to keep in mind that contributions to the RSE from the closed-shell species can sometimes complicate or obscure structure-reactivity trends, particularly when steric and/or polar effects in R-H are significant. 

Eq. 4.54 shows the reaction of n-heptanol (151) with Pb(OAc)4 under high-pressured carbon monoxide with an autoclave to generate the corresponding 8-lactone (152). This reaction proceeds through the formation of an oxygen-centered radical by the reaction of alcohol (151) with Pb(OAc)4,1,5-H shift, reaction with carbon monoxide to form an acyl radical, oxidation of the acyl radical with Pb(OAc)4, and finally, polar cyclization to provide 8-lactone [142-146]. This reaction can be used for primary and secondary alcohols, while (3-cleavage reaction of the formed alkoxyl radicals derived from tertiary alcohols occurs. 

The hydroxylation of nonactivated centers in hydrocarbons is one of the most useful biotransformations [1040,1074—1079] due to the fact that this process has only very few counterparts in traditional organic synthesis [1080-1082]. In general, the relative reactivity of carbon atoms in bio-hydroxylation reactions declines in the order of secondary > tertiary > primary [1083], which is in contrast to radical reactions (tertiary > secondary > primary) [1084]. There are two main groups of hydrocarbon molecules, which have been thoroughly investigated with respect to microbial hydroxylation, i.e., steroids and terpenoids. Both have in common, that they possess a large main framework, which impedes the metabolic degradation of their hydroxylated products. 

While high stereoselection has been achieved in radical reactions which occur in a-position146 to a center substituted with a chiral auxiliary, diastereofacial control in the addition of achiral radicals to the P carbon is, in general, difficult to achieve.147 In connection with this, Toru et al. reported extremely high P-stereoselection in the addition of tertiary, secondary, and even primary alkyl radicals to chiral a-sulfinyl cyclopentanones in 1993.148 The effectiveness of the diastereoselective addition of achiral radicals has been shown to depend on the size of the substituent at the sulfmyl sulfur. Bulky chiral arylsulfmyl groups show excellent diastereoselectivi-ties (> 98 < 2). 

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