Disproportionation radical termination reactions

Termination of the growing radical occurs via bimolecular radical-radical termination reactions, which, depending on the system, occur via combination and/or disproportionation. These reactions tend to be inherently much faster than propagation, to the extent that they are usually diffusion limited. In conventional... 

Termination In last step of the pol5merization, the growing pol)mer chain is terminated. There are two main mechanisms, recombination and disproportionation, for termination reactions. In these mechanisms, the growing polymer chain react with another growing chain or another free radical of some kind. 

The fact that two distinct pathways exist for the radical termination reaction of course immediately raises questions about the relative importance of each of these modes. In early kinetic studies, as far as fifty years ago [e.g. 25-27], the number of initiator endgroups per polymer molecule was determined. At that time, it was already concluded that termination by combination was the dominant mechanism in the majority of bimolecular termination reactions (although chain transfer reactions were neglected in drawing this conclusion). The first monomer system studied for which evidence was found that significant amounts of disproportionation could occur during a free-radical polymerization, was methyl methacrylate [28]. 

However, it must be pointed out that values of os calculated using Eq. (10) will be overestimates of the weight fraction of polymer molecules produced by radical-radical termination reactions and which have undesired functionality (to,). This is because for certain polymerisations some of the bimolecular radical termination reactions contained in the k,[P fg term can actually give rise to the formation of polymer molecules possessing the desired functionality. This is best illustrated by listing the various combination and disproportionation reactions that can occur between two radicals in a matched chain transfer free-radical polymerisation. 

In order to illustrate the effect of unwanted radical-radical termination reactions on ft), calculations were carried out for the solution polymerisation of two hypothetical monomers Me and M, which terminate exclusively by combination and by disproportionation respectively. Also, in order to add a touch of realism to the calculations. 

Although primary and secondary alkyl hydroperoxides are attacked by free radicals, as in equations 8 and 9, such reactions are not chain scission reactions since the alkylperoxy radicals terminate by disproportionation without forming the new radicals needed to continue the chain (53). Overall decomposition rates are faster than the tme first-order rates if radical-induced decompositions are not suppressed. 

The main reason that the decreases as the polymerization temperature increases is the increase in the initiation and termination reactions, which leads to a decrease in the kinetic chain length (Fig. 17). At low temperature, the main termination mechanism is polystyryl radical coupling, but as the temperature increases, radical disproportionation becomes increasingly important. Termination by coupling results in higher PS than any of the other termination modes. 

Primary radical termination may involve combination or disproportionation with the propagating radical. It is often assumed that small radicals give mainly combination even though direct evidence for this is lacking. Both pathways are observed for reaction of eyanoisopropyl radicals with PS (Scheme 3.14) (Section 7.4.3.2). The end group formed by combination is similar to that formed by head addition to monomer differing only in the orientation of the penultimate monomer unit. 

The nature of the termination reaction in MMA polymerization has been investigated by a number of groups using a wide range of techniques (Tabic 5.5), There is general agreement that there is substantial disproportionation. However, there is considerable discrepancy in the precise values of k tk. In some cases the difference has been attributed to variations in the way molecular weight data are interpreted or to the failure to allow for other modes of termination under the polymerization conditions (chain transfer, primary radical termination).154 In other eases the reasons for the discrepancies are less clear. MALDI-TOF mass... 

Even when only the terminal monomer unit is considered, radical-radical termination in binary copolymerization involves at least seven separate reactions (Scheme 7.12). There are two homoterminalion processes and one cross termination process to consider. In the case of cross termination, there arc two pathways for disproportionation. There are then at least three pieces of information to be gained ... 

The number of reported reactions in which the radical derived from the decomposition of AIBN plays a role in the termination process has increased considerably. Often these reactions are not radical chain reactions, since the initiator is used in stoichiometric amounts. A few examples of rearomatization of cyclohexadienyl radicals by disproportionation have been reported herein. Below are some other examples, where the phenyl selenide 61 reacts with (TMSfsSiH (3 equiv), AIBN (1.2 equiv) in refluxing benzene for 24 h to give the coupling product of radicals 63 and 64 in good yields (Scheme 9).i24,i25 these cases,... 

In the absence of any transfer, only the type of termination reaction has to be taken into account to obtain the number average degree of polymerisation (or chain length) Xn. Indeed, if the reaction terminates by addition, two radicals give one chain, while if the reaction terminates by disproportionation, one radical generates one chain. Using 0.5 < x < 1, one obtains... 

The last reaction occurs much rapidly than the disproportionation of two cumylperoxyl radicals and accelerates chain termination in oxidized cumene [15]. The addition of cumene hydroperoxide helps to avoid the influence of the cross termination reaction Me2PhCOO + CH302 on the oxidation of cumene and to measure the pure disproportionation of cumylperoxyl radicals [15]. 

When the termination involves only combination, the polymerization gives a polymer with two initiator fragments at its chain ends. Because termination in the bulk polymerization of St with AIBN at a moderate temperature occurs by combination, the polymer obtained has two initiator fragments at both chain ends. In the radical polymerization of most monomers, however, termination by disproportionation and chain transfer reactions occur it is therefore impossible to control these termination reactions, i.e., the chain-end structure. Therefore, the number of initiator fragments per one molecule is always less than two. 

This second molecule might be a monomer, polymer, or solvent. Because of chain transfer the end of one polymer chain might be a hydrogen atom, and the beginning of the next the radical formed by removing the hydrogen atom from the solvent molecule. In the same paper, he proposed the two most probable chain termination reactions, mutual combination and disproportionation. 

The free radical polymerization of HPMA in the presence of mercaptans involves two different initiation mechanisms (Scheme 2) [26]. One is the initiation by RS radicals from chain transfer agent the other appears to be the direct initiation by the primary isobutyronitrile (IBN) radicals formed by the decomposition of AIBN [27]. The RS are formed by either the free radical transfer reaction of alkyl mercaptans with the IBN radicals or the chain transfer reaction of an active polymer chain with the mercaptans. The initiation by the RS radicals produces the ST polymers with a functional group at one end of the polymer chain. The initiation by IBN radicals leads to nonfunctional polymer chains with an IBN end group. The presence of the polymers with IBN end groups effects the purity and the functionality of ST polymers. As expected, the production of nonfunctionalized polymer chains is affected by reaction conditions. The polymerization is mainly terminated by chain transfer reaction with the mercaptans, but other termination mechanisms, such as disproportionation and recombination, take place depending on the reaction conditions [26]. 

The step or steps in a chain reaction in which reactive intermediates are stabilized and rendered inactive, thus ending the chain reaction. For example, a common termination reaction is the combination of two radicals Le., R- + R - R—R. Another type of termination reaction is disproportionation e.g., 2CH3—CH2- ethane + ethene. 2. The quenching of a reaction. 3. The halting of any process. 

Radical chain reactions are comprised of three distinct parts initiation, propagation steps, and termination. The initiation portion involves one or more elementary reactions that produce a radical that can participate in one of the propagation steps. The propagation sequence is where the desired products are formed it consists of two or more reactions in which one product of each elementary reaction is a radical that serves as a reactant in another step of the sequence. Radicals are destroyed in termination steps that give nonradical products by radical-radical couphng and disproportionation reactions. 

Termination reactions convert radicals to closed-shell compounds. Radical-radical coupling reactions are the reverse of homolytic cleavage reactions and are common, but radicals with (3-hydrogen atoms also react in disproportionation reactions as shown for 13. The selectivity of radical-radical terminations is low because the... 

The propagation reactions proceed at multiple radical sites until the monomer is exhausted, or until one of two common types of termination reactions occur either combination or disproportionation. 

---