Radicals, reaction with halogens

The atmospheric fate of a halocarbon molecule depends upon whether or not it contains a hydrogen atom. Hydrohalomethanes are oxidized by a series of reactions with radicals prominant in the troposphere, predominantly hydroxyl OH. Fully halogenated methanes are unreactive towards these radicals and consequently are transported up through the troposphere into the stratosphere, where their oxidation is initiated by UV photolysis of a carbon-halogen bond. 

In the analogous series of halogenation reactions with acetylenylcyclopropane (54), the main products were unrearranged ( )- and (Z)-(l,2-dihalovinyl)cyclopropanes. The presence of minor amounts of l-halo-2-(halomethylene)cyclobutanes indicates that both ionic and free-radical pathways are operative in photohalogenations with molecular halogens. 

Halogen Displacement. Poly(phenylene oxide)s can also be prepared from 4-halo-2,6-disubstituted phenols by displacement of the halogen to form the ether linkage (48). A trace of an oxidizing agent or free radical initiates the displacement reaction. With 4-bromo-2,6-dimethylphenol, the reaction can be represented as in equation 10 ... 

The halogenation reaction conditions can be chosen to direct attack to the methyl group (high temperature or light to form free-radicals) or the aromatic ring (dark, cold conditions with FeX present to form electrophilic conditions). 

The reaction mechanism is not rigorously known, but is likely to involve the following steps." " First the arenediazonium ion species 1 is reduced by a reaction with copper-(l) salt 2 to give an aryl radical species 4. In a second step the aryl radical abstracts a halogen atom from the CuXa compound 5, which is thus reduced to the copper-1 salt 2. Since the copper-(l) species is regenerated in the second step, it serves as a catalyst in the overall process. 

This allylic bromination with NBS is analogous to the alkane halogenation reaction discussed in the previous section and occurs by a radical chain reaction pathway. As in alkane halogenation, Br- radical abstracts an allylic hydrogen atom of the alkene, thereby forming an allylic radical plus HBr. This allylic radical then reacts with Br2 to yield the product and a Br- radical, which cycles back... 

Simple alkyl halides can be prepared by radical halogenation of alkanes, but mixtures of products usually result. The reactivity order of alkanes toward halogenation is identical to the stability order of radicals R3C- > R2CH- > RCH2-. Alkyl halides can also be prepared from alkenes by reaction with /V-bromo-succinimide (NBS) to give the product of allylic bromination. The NBS bromi-nation of alkenes takes place through an intermediate allylic radical, which is stabilized by resonance. 

Platinum removes a halogen atom from the halide, causing homolytic fission of the C-halogen bond. The resulting Pt -XR radical pair can either react to form Ptn(R)X or separate, with subsequent reaction with RX leading to either PtX2 or PtRX species or reaction with solvent molecules. 

Radicals for addition reactions can be generated by halogen atom abstraction by stannyl radicals. The chain mechanism for alkylation of alkyl halides by reaction with a substituted alkene is outlined below. There are three reactions in the propagation cycle of this chain mechanism addition, hydrogen atom abstraction, and halogen atom transfer. 

Rate Constants for Reactions of Halogenated Carbon-Centered Radicals with Silicon Hydrides... 

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