Chain reactions, intermediates

The second mechanism is the one followed when addition occurs opposite to Markovmkov s rule Unlike electrophilic addition via a carbocation intermediate this alternative mechanism is a chain reaction involving free radical intermediates It is pre sented m Figure 6 7... 

Cation (Section 1 2) Positively charged ion Cellobiose (Section 25 14) A disacchande in which two glu cose units are joined by a 3(1 4) linkage Cellobiose is oh tamed by the hydrolysis of cellulose Cellulose (Section 25 15) A polysaccharide in which thou sands of glucose units are joined by 3(1 4) linkages Center of symmetry (Section 7 3) A point in the center of a structure located so that a line drawn from it to any element of the structure when extended an equal distance in the op posite direction encounters an identical element Benzene for example has a center of symmetry Cham reaction (Section 4 17) Reaction mechanism m which a sequence of individual steps repeats itself many times usu ally because a reactive intermediate consumed m one step is regenerated m a subsequent step The halogenation of alkanes is a chain reaction proceeding via free radical intermediates... 

Chain reactions do not go on forever. The fog may clear and the improved visibility ends the succession of accidents. Neutron-scavenging control rods may be inserted to shut down a nuclear reactor. The chemical reactions which terminate polymer chain reactions are also an important part of the polymerization mechanism. Killing off the reactive intermediate that keeps the chain going is the essence of these termination reactions. Some unusual polymers can be formed without this termination these are called living polymers. 

The oxidation of hydrocarbons involves the sequential formation of a number of similar reactions in which various intermediate radicals which are combinations of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are formed. In the simplest case, the oxidation of medrane, the methyl radical CH3 plays an important part both in direct oxidation to CO(g) and in indirect oxidation duough the formation of higher hydrocarbons such as CaHe before CO is formed. The chain reactions include... 

This makes possible numerous further decomposition reactions involving the hydrogen atom as an intermediate in chain reactions. 

Fiber and Karplus [38] presented an effective set of numerical methods for computing the reaction paths based on this approximation. First the path is discretized—it is expressed as a chain of intermediate configurations of the system rj,. The line integrals of Fq. (19) are then written as... 

The step in which the reactive intermediate, in this case A-, is generated is called the initiation step. In the next four equations in the example above, a sequence of two reactions is repeated this is the propagation phase. Chain reactions are characterized by a chain length, which is the number of propagation steps that take place per initiation step. Finally, there are termination steps, which include any reactions that destroy one of the reactive intermediates necessary for the propagation of the chain. Clearly, the greater the frequency of termination steps, the lower the chain length will be. 

The overall rate of a chain process is determined by the rates of initiation, propagation, and termination reactions. Analysis of the kinetics of chain reactions normally depends on application of the steady-state approximation (see Section 4.2) to the radical intermediates. Such intermediates are highly reactive, and their concentrations are low and nearly constant throughout the course of the reaction ... 

The presence of oxygen can modify the course of a fiee-radical chain reaction if a radical intermediate is diverted by reaction with molecular oxygen. The oxygen molecule, with its two unpaired electrons, is extremely reactive toward most free-radical intermediates. The product which is formed is a reactive peroxyl radical, which can propagate a chain reaction leading to oxygen-containing products. 

Experiments in which radical scavengers are added indicate that a chain reaction is involved, because the reaction is greatly retarded in the presence of the scavengers. The mechanism shown below indicates that one of the steps in the chain process is an electron transfer and that none of the steps involves atom abstraction. The elimination of nitrite occurs as a unimolecular decomposition of the radical anion intermediate, and the SrnI mechanistic designation would apply. 

Atoms and free radicals are highly reactive intermediates in the reaction mechanism and therefore play active roles. They are highly reactive because of their incomplete electron shells and are often able to react with stable molecules at ordinary temperatures. They produce new atoms and radicals that result in other reactions. As a consequence of their high reactivity, atoms and free radicals are present in reaction systems only at very low concentrations. They are often involved in reactions known as chain reactions. The reaction mechanisms involving the conversion of reactants to products can be a sequence of elementary steps. The intermediate steps disappear and only stable product molecules remain once these sequences are completed. These types of reactions are refeiTcd to as open sequence reactions because an active center is not reproduced in any other step of the sequence. There are no closed reaction cycles where a product of one elementary reaction is fed back to react with another species. Reversible reactions of the type A -i- B C -i- D are known as open sequence mechanisms. The chain reactions are classified as a closed sequence in which an active center is reproduced so that a cyclic reaction pattern is set up. In chain reaction mechanisms, one of the reaction intermediates is regenerated during one step of the reaction. This is then fed back to an earlier stage to react with other species so that a closed loop or... 

Chain reaction (Section 4.17) Reaction mechanism in which a sequence of individual steps repeats itself many times, usually because a reactive intermediate consumed in one step is regenerated in a subsequent step. The halogenation of alkanes is a chain reaction proceeding via free-radical intermediates. 

Wawzonek et al. first investigated the mechanism of the cyclization of A-haloamines and correctly proposed the free radical chain reaction pathway that was substantiated by experimental data. "" Subsequently, Corey and Hertler examined the stereochemistry, hydrogen isotope effect, initiation, catalysis, intermediates, and selectivity of hydrogen transfer. Their results pointed conclusively to a free radical chain mechanism involving intramolecular hydrogen transfer as one of the propagation steps. Accordingly, the... 

The alkene and diene polymers discussed in Sections 7.10 and 14.6 are called chain-growth polymers because they are produced by chain reactions. An initiator adds to a C=C bond to give a reactive intermediate, which adds to a second alkene molecule to produce a new1 intermediate, which adds to a third molecule, and so on. By contrast, polyamides and polyesters are called step-growth polymers because each bond in the polymer is formed independently of the others. A large number of different step-growth polymers have been made some of the more important ones are shown in Table 21.2. 

Polystyrene is produced commercially by reaction of styrene with butyllithium as an anionic initiator. Using resonance structures, explain how the chain-carrying intermediate is stabilized. 

Synthetic polymers can be classified as either chain-growth polymen or step-growth polymers. Chain-growth polymers are prepared by chain-reaction polymerization of vinyl monomers in the presence of a radical, an anion, or a cation initiator. Radical polymerization is sometimes used, but alkenes such as 2-methylpropene that have electron-donating substituents on the double bond polymerize easily by a cationic route through carbocation intermediates. Similarly, monomers such as methyl -cyanoacrylate that have electron-withdrawing substituents on the double bond polymerize by an anionic, conjugate addition pathway. 

Propagation step (Section 5.3) The step or series of steps in a radical chain reaction that carry on the chain. The propagation steps must yield both product and a reactive intermediate. 

A chain reaction is one in which the key intermediate generated in one step then re-enters the reaction sequence in another. A chain mechanism includes at least two such regenerative reactions and a pair of intermediates. This allows the intermediates to cycle repetitively. These intermediates may be atoms or radicals, or indeed any high-energy or reactive species that can undergo suitable reactions. 

As a third and final example of a chain reaction, we shall consider a net reaction that produces sulfate and hydrogen phosphate ions.7 The scheme is more intricate than the earlier ones. It starts with the homolytic dissociation of S2Ojj- as one of two parallel initiation steps, and utilizes SO -, HO, and HPO - as intermediates. The scheme suggested is shown here, and one can easily allow for the products that are identical save for protonation ... 

How can one formulate a mechanism for a chain reaction when the rate law does not provide the composition of the transition state The process is an inexact one, but this guidance may be helpful. Factor the rate law mentally into components that suggest the multiplication of one reagent by one intermediate. Thus, for Eqs. (8-20)-(8-23), we might rewrite Eq. (8-24) to read... 

This style of diagram is useful for all catalytic systems, not just chain reactions. The intermediates are featured centrally, and the cyclic nature of the reaction is evident. 

Although the first reaction is of an ordinary sort, the next two are unusual in that one propagating intermediate is converted into two. These are branching reactions. As each occurs, the total rate speeds up. When that happens, even more branching occurs, and so on. If unchecked, the exponential growth of chain carriers leads to explosion, just as in nuclear chain reactions. 

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