Electron-donating groups radicals

The stabilizing role of other functional groups can also be described in resonance terms. Both electron-attracting groups such as carbonyl and cyano and electron-donating groups such as methoxy and dimethylamino have a stabilizing etfect on a radical intermediate at an adjacent carbon. The resonance structures which depict these interactions indicate delocalization of the unpaired electron onto the adjacent substituents ... 

The initiator can be a radical, an acid, or a base. Historically, as we saw in Section 7.10, radical polymerization was the most common method because it can be carried out with practically any vinyl monomer. Acid-catalyzed (cationic) polymerization, by contrast, is effective only with vinyl monomers that contain an electron-donating group (EDG) capable of stabilizing the chain-carrying carbocation intermediate. Thus, isobutylene (2-methyl-propene) polymerizes rapidly under cationic conditions, but ethylene, vinyl chloride, and acrylonitrile do not. Isobutylene polymerization is carried out commercially at -80 °C, using BF3 and a small amount of water to generate BF3OH- H+ catalyst. The product is used in the manufacture of truck and bicycle inner tubes. 

Contrary to the general impression, phenol and aniline are poor retarders even toward highly reactive radicals such as the poly(vinyl acetate)-propagating radical (Table 3-8). Phenols with electron-donating groups (and, to some extent, similarly substituted anilines)... 

Substituted olefins that are capable of forming secondary or tertiary carbo-nium ion intermediates polymerize well by cationic initiation, but are polymerized with difficulty or not at all free radically. In general, vinyl or /-alkenes that contain electron donating groups (alkyl, ether, etc) polymerize well via a carbo-cationic mechanism. 

A recent development in the synthesis of 3//-3-benzazepin-2-ones has been the photocyc-lization of A-(chloroacetyl)phenethylamines (Scheme 25). Ring closure is by homolysis of the alkyl halide followed by intramolecular coupling of the alkyl radical with an aromatic radical cation. Yields are good, especially with a stabilizing electron-donating group (MeO, NMe2) at the position meta to the ethylamino function (i.e. ortho or para to the site of cyclization). Isomeric benzazepinones are normally obtained (Scheme 25) with meta-substituted phenethylamines (80H(14)ll). 

Further research on the substitution of the thiophene 3-position with phenyl groups containing electron-withdrawing or electron-donating groups (such as methyl, methoxy, fluoro, chloro, bromo, trifluoromethyl, sulfoxy) in the para position have lead to polymers with unique features [57]. The electron-withdraw-ing groups allow the formation of a radical anion and thus stabilize the n-doped state. As a result, such conducting polymers can be reversibly oxidized and reduced and electrochromic devices can be built with identical anode and cathode materials [58]. 

Evidence for the polar character of the transition state is that electron-withdrawing groups in the para position of toluene (which would destabilize a positive charge) decrease the rate of hydrogen abstraction by bromine while electron-donating groups increase it,10 However, as we might expect, substituents have a smaller effect here (p -1,4) than they do in reactions where a completely ionic intermediate is involved, e.g., the SnI mechanism (see p. 344). Other evidence for polar transition states in radical abstraction reactions is mentioned on p. 685. For abstraction by radicals such as methyl or phenyl, polar effects are... 

Tetrahydropterins are highly reactive towards oxidation (e.g. 542 — 544) even molecular oxygen can cause hydroxylation. The autoxidation is due to the electron donating groups such as amino and hydroxy, whereas removal of such substituents enhances the stability of the reduced pteridine nucleus tremendously (96CHEC-li(7)70l). The reaction appears to proceed via single electron transfer. The radical cation (543) can be observed by cyclic voltammetry. 

Substituent effects observed for this reaction are entirely consistent with those described for electrophilic substitution and addition —only reversed. That is, the reactivity of an arene in metal reductions is increased by electron-withdrawing groups and decreased by electron-donating groups. Substituents that can stabilize the anion-radical intermediate facilitate the reduction (see Exercise 22-35). 

Alkali and alkaline earth metals dissolve in liquid ammonia with the formation of solvated electrons. These solvated electrons constitute a very powerful reducing agent and permit reduction of numerous conjugated multiple-bond systems. The technique, named for Birch provides selective access to 1,4-cydohcxiidicnes from substituted aromatics.8 In the case of structures like 21 that are substituted with electron-donating groups, electron transfer produces a radical anion (here 22) such that subsequent protonation occurs se lectively in the ortho position (cf intermediate 23) A second electron-transfer step followed by another protonation leads to com pound 24... 

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