Halo-olefins reaction with radicals

There are reasons to explain the catalytic activity of copper(ll) in terms of cation-radical mechanism. This mechanism is confirmed by the unusual direction of Meerwein reaction in some cases, for example, when the replacement of halogen by an aryl radical occurs in the reaction of halo-styrenes with aryldiazonium salts (Obushak et al. 1991). A cation-radical in the system [olefin-Cu(II)] has been detected by UV spectroscopy (Obushak et al. 1991). In the cases of cis isomers of benzylidenacetone (Allard and Levisalles 1972) and maleic esters (Isaev et al. 1972), the unreacted... 

Several variations of this reaction are possible. The halo acid is boiled with a solution of sodium in absolute alcohol as in the formation of y-bu-tyrolactone (67%), or the dry sodium salt of a halo acid is heated under vacuum as in the preparation of 8-valerolactone (30%). The corresponding esters are sometimes refluxed with alcoholic potassium hydroxide or decomposed thermally at 15 180° whereby a molecule of an alkyl halide is eliminated. The latter process is valuable in making a-alkyl-y-lac-tones of higher-molecular-weight acids since the y-bromo esters are available by the free-radical addition of a-bromo esters to 1-olefins. 

Generally, 1,2-disubstituted ethylene derivatives have only a small tendency for radical homopolymerization. An exception is vinylene carbonate (VCA) which can be easily polymerized by chemical as well as radiation initiation. However, the reaction is strongly affected by traces of impurities formed during the synthesis. Inhibition experiments are discussed with regard to the nature of the inhibiting impurities. The copolymerization behavior of VCA with some halo-substituted olefins was studied with chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE), a statistical copolymer with a slight tendency for alternation was obtained. 

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