Elemental halogens, addition alkenes

Additions of elemental halogens to unsaturated compounds are among the most common preparations of halogenated fluoroorganics. The transformations are usually fairly clean and proceed in good yields. Besides the numerous examples of halogen addition tofluoroalkenes and fluoroalkyl-substituted alkenes, additions to perfliioropropyl vinyl ether [2] and fluormated styrenes [7, 4] have been reported. Both ionic and free-radical processes occur (equations 1 and 2)... 

Compounds having divalent sulfur and selenium atoms bound to more electronegative elements react with alkenes to give addition products. The mechanism is similar to that in halogenation and involves of bridged cationic intermediates. 

Table 9 contains some additional comparable reactions of acyclic, halogen-free alkenes with elemental fluorine. 

Table 9. Addition of Elemental Fluorine to Acyclic. Halogen-Free Alkenes...

In both cases, acyclic final products can be obtained through quenching reactions such as aqueous workup or addition of elemental halogen. Alkene... 

While carbon and oxygen radicals add irreversibly to carbon-carbon double bonds, the fragmentation reaction is rapid (and often reversible) for elements like tin, sulfur, selenium and the halogens (Scheme 36). This elimination reaction can be very useful in synthesis if the eliminated radical Y- can either directly or indirectly react with a radical precursor to propagate a chain. Given this prerequisite, an addition chain can be devised with either an allylic or a vinylic precursor, as illustrated in Scheme 37. Carbon radicals are generated by the direct or indirect reaction with Y- and are removed by the -elimination of Y-. Selectivity is determined by the concentration of the alkene acceptor and the rate of -elimination... 

Cleavage of boron-carbon bonds by halogens does not proceed efficiently. The elements of HI, HBr, and HC1 can, however, be added to alkenes in an a/jfr -Markovnikov fashion by hydroboration and subsequent addition of either 12/NaOMe, Br2/NaOMe, or NCI3 (Equations B2.15-17). 

Treatment of an alkene with a strong acid, such as sulfuric acid, that has a relatively nonnucleophilic conjugate base results in the addition of the elements of water (H and OH) to the double bond. This reaction has many similarities to the addition of the halogen acids described in Section 11.2. First H+ adds to produce a carbocation and then water acts as the nucleophile. The reaction follows Markovnikov s rule and the stereochemistry is that expected for a reaction that involves a carbocation—loss of stereochemistry. Some examples are provided in the following equations. Note that the mechanism is the exact reverse of the El mechanism for acid-catalyzed dehydration of alcohols described in Section 10.13. 

Treatment of an alkene with a halogen X2 and H2O forms a halohydrin by addition of the elements of X and OH to the double bond. 

The second important type of propagation reaction is addition to multiple bonds addition to C=C is particularly important. In reaction (6.34), R can be an atom or a group centred on carbon or any element which forms a bond stronger than the n bond which is broken in the reaction (about 250 kJ mol-1). If the alkene is unsymmetrical, addition can in principle take place at either end of the double bond. Addition normally takes place at the end of the double bond which will generate the more stable free radical. Thus for addition of a halogen atom to propene, attack at the CH2 position will give the secondary radical 47 (reaction 6.35) rather than attack at the central carbon atom which would give the less stable primary radical 48 (reaction 6.36). 

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