Mechanisms free-radical

The free radical mechanism is confirmed by the fact that if a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon is used in this reaction, the incoming group (derived from the diazotate) may not necessarily occupy the position in the benzene ring normally determined by the substituent present—a characteristic of free radical reactions. 

Under CO pressure in alcohol, the reaction of alkenes and CCI4 proceeds to give branched esters. No carbonylation of CCI4 itself to give triichloroacetate under similar conditions is observed. The ester formation is e.xplained by a free radical mechanism. The carbonylation of l-octene and CCI4 in ethanol affords ethyl 2-(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)decanoate (924) as a main product and the simple addition product 925(774]. ... 

FIGURE 4 21 The initiation and propagation steps in the free radical mechanism for the chlorination of methane Together the two propaga tion steps give the overall equation for the reaction... 

Among the hydrogen halides only hydrogen bromide reacts with alkenes by both electrophilic and free radical addition mechanisms Hydrogen iodide and hydrogen chlo ride always add to alkenes by electrophilic addition and follow Markovmkov s rule Hydrogen bromide normally reacts by electrophilic addition but if peroxides are pres ent or if the reaction is initiated photochemically the free radical mechanism is followed... 

Hydrogen bromide (but not hydrogen chloride or hydrogen iodide) adds to alkynes by a free radical mechanism when peroxides are present m the reaction mixture As m the free radical addition of hydrogen bromide to alkenes (Section 6 8) a regioselectiv ity opposite to Markovmkov s rule is observed... 

Alkenes react with N bromosuccimmide (NBS) to give allylic bromides NBS serves as a source of Br2 and substitution occurs by a free radical mechanism The reaction is used for synthetic purposes only when the two resonance forms of the allylic radical are equivalent Otherwise a mixture of isomeric allylic bromides is produced... 

The reaction follows a free radical mechanism and gives a hydroperoxide a compound of the type ROOH Hydroperoxides tend to be unstable and shock sensitive On stand mg they form related peroxidic derivatives which are also prone to violent decomposi tion Air oxidation leads to peroxides within a few days if ethers are even briefly exposed to atmospheric oxygen For this reason one should never use old bottles of dialkyl ethers and extreme care must be exercised m their disposal... 

The kind of reaction which produces a dead polymer from a growing chain depends on the nature of the reactive intermediate. These intermediates may be free radicals, anions, or cations. We shall devote most of this chapter to a discussion of the free-radical mechanism, since it readily lends itself to a very general treatment. The discussion of ionic intermediates is not as easily generalized. 

It might be noted that most (not all) alkenes are polymerizable by the chain mechanism involving free-radical intermediates, whereas the carbonyl group is generally not polymerized by the free-radical mechanism. Carbonyl groups and some carbon-carbon double bonds are polymerized by ionic mechanisms. Monomers display far more specificity where the ionic mechanism is involved than with the free-radical mechanism. For example, acrylamide will polymerize through an anionic intermediate but not a cationic one, A -vinyl pyrrolidones by cationic but not anionic intermediates, and halogenated olefins by neither ionic species. In all of these cases free-radical polymerization is possible. 

In the next three sections we consider initiation, termination, and propagation steps in the free-radical mechanism for addition polymerization. One should bear in mind that two additional steps, inhibition and chain transfer, are being ignored at this point. We shall take up these latter topics in Sec. 6.8. 

Ionic polymerizations, whether anionic or cationic, should not be judged to be unimportant merely because our treatment of them is limited to two sections in this text. Although there are certain parallels between polymerizations which occur via free-radical and ionic intermediates, there are also numerous differences. An important difference lies in the more specific chemistry of the ionic mechanism. While the free-radical mechanism is readily discussed in general terms, this is much more difficult in the ionic case. This is one of the reasons why only relatively short sections have been allotted to anionic and cationic polymerizations. The body of available information regarding these topics is extensive enough to warrant a far more elaborate treatment, but space limitations and the more specific character of the material are the reasons for the curtailed treatment. 

Both modes of ionic polymerization are described by the same vocabulary as the corresponding steps in the free-radical mechanism for chain-growth polymerization. However, initiation, propagation, transfer, and termination are quite different than in the free-radical case and, in fact, different in many ways between anionic and cationic mechanisms. Our comments on the ionic mechanisms will touch many of the same points as the free-radical discussion, although in a far more abbreviated form. 

Just as anionic polymerizations show certain parallels with the free-radical mechanism, so too can cationic polymerization be discussed in terms of the same broad outline. There are some differences from the anionic systems, however, so the fact that both proceed through ionic intermediates should not be overextended. 

The sample labeled atactic in Fig. 7.10 was prepared by a free-radical mechanism and, hence, is expected to follow zero-order Markov statistics. As a test of this, we examine Fig. 7.9 to see whether the values of p, P, and Pj, which are given by the fractions in Table 7.9, agree with a single set of p values. When this is done, it is apparent that these proportions are consistent with this type... 

Among other possible reactions, these free radicals can initiate ordinary free-radical polymerization. The Ziegler-Natta systems are thus seen to encompass several mechanisms for the initiation of polymerization. Neither ionic nor free-radical mechanisms account for stereoregularity, however, so we must look further for the mechanism whereby the Ziegler-Natta systems produce this interesting effect. 

These monomeis were mixed with nonfluoiinated acrylates and cured conventionally, such as by free-radical mechanism. Similar monomers and their... 

Tri- and pentacoordinate phosphoms compounds often react by electron-pair mechanisms as demonstrated by the nucleophilic reactivity of the lone pair electrons in trivalent compounds, and the electrophilicity of the phosphoms atom in the pentavalent compounds. Some compounds also react by free-radical mechanisms. The theoretical and synthetic aspects of the chemistry of phosphoms compounds have been described (6—9). 

Potassium bicarbonate is used in foods and medicine. It is approximately twice as effective as NaHC03 in dry-powder fire extinguishers, perhaps because the potassium affects the free-radical mechanism of flame propagation. However, the material does not have good handling characteristics. 

The rate of rearrangement increases as the basicity of the parent tertiary amine decreases (14). Strong support for a free-radical mechanism has been demonstrated (15,16). 

Metal Catalysis. Aqueous solutions of amine oxides are unstable in the presence of mild steel and thermal decomposition to secondary amines and aldehydes under acidic conditions occurs (24,25). The reaction proceeds by a free-radical mechanism (26). The decomposition is also cataly2ed by V(III) and Cu(I). 

In contrast, antioxidants can have an opposite effect when peroxide curing. Because peroxide cross-linking involves a free-radical mechanism, and antioxidants are designed to scavenge free radicals, it is obvious that peroxide efficiency can be compromised by the addition of antioxidants. Thus the decomposition products of the ppds were acting as accelerators (29). 

Hydrosdylation can also be initiated by a free-radical mechanism (227—229). A photochemical route uses photosensitizers such as peresters to generate radicals in the system. Unfortunately, the reaction is quite sluggish. In several apphcations, radiation is used in combination with platinum and an inhibitor to cure via hydro sdylation (230—232). The inhibitor is either destroyed or deactivated by uv radiation. 

In tbe first attempt to prepare a two-dimensional crystalline polymer (45), Co y-radiation was used to initiate polymerization in monolayers of vinyl stearate (7). Polymerization at the air—water interface was possible but gave a rigid film. The monomeric monolayer was deposited to give X-type layers that could be polymerized in situ This polymerization reaction, quenched by oxygen, proceeds via a free-radical mechanism. 

Since the thermal dehydrocondensation proceeds by a free-radical mechanism (37), various radical-forrning promoters like acetone, ethanol, or methanol have been found useful in improving conversion of ben2ene to condensed polyphenyls. In the commercial dehydrocondensation process, ben2ene and some biphenyl are separated by distillation and recycled back to the dehydrocondensation step. Pure biphenyl is then collected leaving a polyphenyl residue consisting of approximately 4% o-terphenyl, 44% y -terphenyl, 25% -terphenyl, 1.5% triphenylene, and 22—27% higher polyphenyl and tars. Distillation of this residue at reduced pressure affords the mixed terphenyl isomers accompanied by a portion of the quaterphenyls present. 

The rate of addition depends on the concentration of both the butylene and the reagent HZ. The addition requires an acidic reagent and the orientation of the addition is regioselective (Markovnikov). The relative reactivities of the isomers are related to the relative stabiUty of the intermediate carbocation and are isobutylene 1 — butene > 2 — butenes. Addition to the 1-butene is less hindered than to the 2-butenes. For hydrogen bromide addition, the preferred orientation of the addition can be altered from Markovnikov to anti-Markovnikov by the presence of peroxides involving a free-radical mechanism. 

Addition to the Double Bond. Chlorine, bromine, and iodine react with aHyl chloride at temperatures below the inception of the substitution reaction to produce the 1,2,3-trihaLides. High temperature halogenation by a free-radical mechanism leads to unsaturated dihalides CH2=CHCHC1X. Hypochlorous and hypobromous acids add to form glycerol dihalohydrins, principally the 2,3-dihalo isomer. Dehydrohalogenation with alkah to epicbl orobydrin [106-89-8] is ofgreat industrial importance. 

Hydrogen hahdes normally add to form 1,2-dihaLides, though an abnormal addition of hydrogen bromide is known, leading to 3-bromo-l-chloropropane [109-70-6], the reaction is beUeved to proceed by a free-radical mechanism. Water can be added by treatment with sulfuric acid at ambient or lower temperatures, followed by dilution with water. The product is l-chloro-2-propanol [127-00-4]. 

Reaction Mechanism. High temperature vapor-phase chlorination of propylene [115-07-17 is a free-radical mechanism in which substitution of an allyhc hydrogen is favored over addition of chlorine to the double bond. Abstraction of allyhc hydrogen is especially favored since the allyl radical intermediate is stabilized by resonance between two symmetrical stmctures, both of which lead to allyl chloride. 

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