Halogens reaction with conjugated compounds

In reactions with organic molecules e q reacts as nucleophilic reagent it attacks molecules with low-lying molecular orbital, like aromatic hydrocarbons, conjugated olefinic molecules, carboxyl compounds, and halogenated hydrocarbons (Swallow 1982 Buxton 1982, 1987 Buxton et al. 1988). In the latter case, addition is usually followed by halide ion elimination, so the reaction can be considered as a dissociative electron capture. For instance, the reaction with chlorobenzene yields phenyl radical and chloride ion... 

The first combination will not give the ether product because Sj 2 reactions cannot occur by backside displacement of halogen atoms at sp -hybridi2ed carbon atoms. However, the reaction of the conjugate base of the hydroxyl group at the 2 position of naphthalene with bromoethane occurs readily because bromoethane is an unhindered primary alkyl halide. The nucleophilic oxygen atom of the naphthalene compound is generated by reaction with sodium hydride. 

The HX compounds are electrophilic reagents, and many polyhalo and polycyano alkenes, (e.g., Cl2C=CHCl) do not react with them at all in the absence of free-radical conditions. When such reactions do occur, however, they take place by a nucleophilic addition mechanism, (i.e., initial attack is by X ). This type of mechanism also occurs with Michael-type substrates C=C—Z, where the orientation is always such that the halogen goes to the carbon that does not bear the Z, so the product is of the form X—C—CH—Z, even in the presence of free-radical initiators. Hydrogen iodide adds 1,4 to conjugated dienes in the gas phase by a pericyclic mechanism ... 

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