Chlorine radicals reactions

Olsson, B.E.R., M. Hallquist, E. Ljungstrdm, and J. Davidsson (1997), A kinetic study of chlorine radical reactions with ketones by laser photolysis technique, Int. J. Chem. Kinet., 29, 195-201. 

Benzene can undergo addition reactions which successively saturate the three formal double bonds, e.g. up to 6 chlorine atoms can be added under radical reaction conditions whilst catalytic hydrogenation gives cyclohexane. 

The reaction between hydrogen and chlorine is probably also of this type and many organic free radical reactions (e.g. the decomposition of ethanal) proceed via chain mechanisms. 

A similar intramolecular oxidation, but for the methyl groups C-18 and C-19 was introduced by D.H.R. Barton (1979). Axial hydroxyl groups are converted to esters of nitrous or hypochlorous acid and irradiated. Oxyl radicals are liberated and selectively attack the neighboring axial methyl groups. Reactions of the methylene radicals formed with nitrosyl or chlorine radicals yield oximes or chlorides. 

Other nonpolymeric radical-initiated processes include oxidation, autoxidation of hydrocarbons, chlorination, bromination, and other additions to double bonds. The same types of initiators are generally used for initiating polymerization and nonpolymerization reactions. Radical reactions are extensively discussed in the chemical Hterature (3—15). 

Substitution Reactions on the Methyl Group. The reactions that give substitution on the methyl group are generally high temperature and free-radical reactions. Thus, chlorination at ca 100°C, or in the presence of ultraviolet light and other free-radical initiators, successively gives benzyl chloride, benzal chloride, and benzotrichloride. 

Addition. Chlorine adds to vinyl chloride to form 1,1,2-trichloroethane [79-00-5] (44—46). Chlorination can proceed by either an ionic or a radical path. In the Hquid phase and in the dark, 1,1,2-trichloroethane forms by an ionic path when a transition-metal catalyst such as ferric chloride [7705-08-0], FeCl, is used. The same product forms in radical reactions up to 250°C. Photochernically initiated chlorination also produces... 

Vinyhdene chloride polymeri2es by both ionic and free-radical reactions. Processes based on the latter are far more common (23). Vinyhdene chloride is of average reactivity when compared with other unsaturated monomers. The chlorine substituents stabih2e radicals in the intermediate state of an addition reaction. Because they are also strongly electron-withdrawing, they polari2e the double bond, making it susceptible to anionic attack. For the same reason, a carbonium ion intermediate is not favored. 

Chlorine free radicals used for the substitutioa reactioa are obtaiaed by either thermal, photochemical, or chemical means. The thermal method requites temperatures of at least 250°C to iaitiate decomposition of the diatomic chlorine molecules iato chlorine radicals. The large reaction exotherm demands close temperature control by cooling or dilution, although adiabatic reactors with an appropriate diluent are commonly used ia iadustrial processes. Thermal chlorination is iaexpeasive and less sensitive to inhibition than the photochemical process. Mercury arc lamps are the usual source of ultraviolet light for photochemical processes furnishing wavelengths from 300—500 nm. 

Chlorine atoms obtained from the dissociation of chlorine molecules by thermal, photochemical, or chemically initiated processes react with a methane molecule to form hydrogen chloride and a methyl-free radical. The methyl radical reacts with an undissociated chlorine molecule to give methyl chloride and a new chlorine radical necessary to continue the reaction. Other more highly chlorinated products are formed in a similar manner. Chain terrnination may proceed by way of several of the examples cited in equations 6, 7, and 8. The initial radical-producing catalytic process is inhibited by oxygen to an extent that only a few ppm of oxygen can drastically decrease the reaction rate. In some commercial processes, small amounts of air are dehberately added to inhibit chlorination beyond the monochloro stage. 

Bonds may also be broken symmetrically such that each atom retains one electron of the pair that formed the covalent bond. This odd electron is not paired like all the other electrons of the atom, i.e. it does not have a partner of opposite spin. Atoms possessing odd unpaired electrons are termed free radicals and are indicated by a dot alongside the atomic or molecular structure. The chlorination of methane (see later) to produce methyl chloride (CH3CI) is a typical free-radical reaction ... 

In radical reactions not involving bromine or chlorine on the substrate, rearrangements are much rarer One example is the fluorination of di-tert butyl ketone which produces perfluormated / rt-buty isobutyl ketone [J5] Although isolated yields are poor only the rearranged ketone could be isolated This is perhaps only the second example of a 1,2-acyl shift Low fluorine substrate ratios show that this rearrangement occurs after monofluorination... 

Methane is the most difficult alkane to chlorinate. The reaction is initiated by chlorine free radicals obtained via the application of heat (thermal) or light (hv). Thermal chlorination (more widely used industrially) occurs at approximately 350-370°C and atmospheric pressure. A typical product distribution for a CH4/CI2 feed ratio of 1.7 is mono- (58.7%), di-(29.3%) tri- (9.7%) and tetra- (2.3%) chloromethanes. 

The chlorination of toluene by substituting the methyl hydrogens is a free radical reaction. A mixture of three chlorides (benzyl chloride, ben-zal chloride and benzotrichloride) results. 

As an example of an industrially useful radical reaction, look at the chlorination of methane to yield chloromethane. This substitution reaction is the first step in the preparation of the solvents dichloromethane (CHoCl ) and chloroform (CHCI3). 

Like many radical reactions in the laboratory, methane chlorination requires three kinds of steps initiation, propagation, and termination. 

Initiation Irradiation with ultraviolet light begins the reaction by breaking the relatively weak Cl-Cl bond of a small number of Cl2 molecules to give a few reactive chlorine radicals. 

The enhanced selectivity of alkane bromination over chlorination can be explained by turning once again to the Hammond postulate. In comparing the abstractions of an alkane hydrogen by Cl- and Br- radicals, reaction with Br- is less exergonic. As a result, the transition state for bromination resembles the alkyl radical more closely than does the transition state for chlorination, and the stability of that radical is therefore more important for bromination than for chlorination. 

The anode reaction almost certainly involves adsorbed chlorine radicals. 

Atrazine is successively transformed to 2,4,6-trihydroxy-l,3,5-triazine (Pelizzetti et al. 1990) by dealkylation of the alkylamine side chains and hydrolytic displacement of the ring chlorine and amino groups (Figure 1.3). A comparison has been made between direct photolysis and nitrate-mediated hydroxyl radical reactions (Torrents et al. 1997) the rates of the latter were much greater under the conditions of this experiment, and the major difference in the products was the absence of ring hydroxylation with loss of chloride. 

The mechanism(s) by which these photocatalyzed oxidations are initiated remain uncertain. Early proposals have included involvement of either the photo-produced holes (h+) arising directly from semiconductor photo-excitation, or the (presumed) derivative hydroxyl radical (OH) which was argued to arise from the hole oxidation of adsorbed hydroxyls (h+ + OH-—> OH ). Recent subambient studies [4] with physisorbed chloromethane and oxygen suggest the dioxygen anion (02 ) as a key active species, and the photocatalytic high efficiency chain destruction of TCE is argued to be initiated by chlorine radicals (Cl) [5]. The chlorine-enhanced photocatalytic destruction of air contaminants has been proposed [1, 2, 6] to depend upon reactions initiated by chlorine radicals. 

No systematic studies of a number of compoimds have yet appeared to discover correlations suggestive of mechanism. This paper presents the fractional conversions and reaction rates measured under reference conditions (50 mg contaminants/m ) in air at 7% relative humidity (1000 mg/m H2O), for 18 compounds including representatives of the important contaminant classes of alcohols, ethers, alkanes, chloroethenes, chloroalkanes, and aromatics. Plots of these conversions and rates vs. hydroxyl radical and chlorine radical rate constants, vs. the reactant coverage (dark conditions), and vs. the product of rate constant times coverage are constructed to discern which of the proposed mechanistic suggestions appear dominant. 

The rate of gas phase reaction of pollutants with chlorine radicals is 10 to 100 times faster than with hydroxyl radicals, and we [1, 2] have proposed Cl as the smface active species responsible for the rate enhancement observed on addition... 

In the presence of chlorine atoms, the chlorine radical appears to be the active surface species. It is not possible from our limited data to establish whether most reaction occur via Langmuir-Hinshelwood or Rideal-Eley mechanisms. 

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