Hydrogen halides, reactions with alkenes

The relative ease with which hydrogen halides react with alkenes is in the order HI > HBr > HCl > HF. This is the same as their relative acidities (see Section 4.3.2) and indicates that protonation of the alkene is the rate-limiting step for the addition reaction. 

As a center of high electron density, the triple bond is readily attacked by electrophiles. This section describes the resnlts of three such processes addition of hydrogen halides, reaction with halogens, and hydration. The hydration is catalyzed by mercury(II) ions. As is the case in electrophilic additions to unsymmetrical alkenes (Section 12-3), the Markovnikov rule is followed in transformations of terminal alkynes The electrophile adds to the terminal (less snbstituted) carbon atom. 

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... 

The order of reactivity of the hydrogen halides is HI > HBr > HCl, and reactions of simple alkenes with HCl are quite slow. The studies that have been applied to determining mechanistic details of hydrogen halide addition to alkenes have focused on the kinetics and stereochemistry of the reaction and on the effect of added nucleophiles. The kinetic studies often reveal complex rate expressions which demonstrate that more than one process contributes to the overall reaction rate. For addition of hydrogen bromide or Itydrogen... 

It is significant that no other hydrogen halides add to alkenes, contrary to the Markovnikov rule, even in the presence of free radicals. This appears to be due to the difficulty with which other halogen atoms, particularly fluorine and chlorine, are produced by reaction of the hydrogen halides with radicals ... 

Alkynes. Because of their less nucleophilic character, alkynes react less readily with hydrogen halides than do alkenes and often require the use a metal halide catalyst. Vinyl halides are formed in the reaction with one equivalent of HHlg. They may react further in an excess of the reagent to yield geminal dihalides. High yields of these compounds can be achieved. The addition of HC1 to acetylene was studied in detail because of the practical importance of the product vinyl chloride (see Section 6.2.4). 

We use the term substitution with scheme (138) in the sense that it is used for aromatic compounds. Addition is reserved for processes in which a saturated intermediate is formed. To observe retention, we require only that k 2) > k(3) in (138). By analogy with the SB2 reactions at a saturated carbon (Rreevoy et al., 1967), it is probable that some demetalations with acid in a polar solvent proceed in this way. Certainly, the intermediates are wholly analogous to those proposed for the isomerization, hydration, or hydrogen halide addition to alkenes. 

The mechanism is similar to the mechanism of hydrogen halide addition to alkenes. The vinyl cation formed in the first step is more stable with the positive charge on the more highly substituted carbon atom. Attack by halide ion completes the reaction. 

Reactions of lithium alkyls are generally considered to be carbanionic in nature, but in reactions with alkyl halides free radicals have been detected by electron spin resonance.32 Lithium alkyls are widely employed as stereospecific catalysts for the polymerization of alkenes, notably isoprene, which gives up to 90% of 1,4-cA-polyisoprene numerous other reactions with alkenes have been studied.33 The TMED complexes again are especially active not only will they polymerize ethylene but they will even metallate benzene and aromatic compounds, as well as reacting with hydrogen at 1 atm to give LiH and alkane. 

There is a competing reaction with solvent when hydrogen halide additions to alkenes are carried out in nucleophilic solvents. 

Energy diagrams comparing addition of a hydrogen halide HX with an alkene H2C=CHR according to Markovnikov s rule (solid red) and opposite to Markovnikov s rule (dashed blue). The energy of activation is less and the reaction is faster for the reaction that proceeds through the more stable secondary carbocation. 

Some specific reactions of this type that we shall study in this chapter include addition of hydrogen halides, sulfuric acid, water (in the presence of an acid catalyst), and halogens. Later we shall also study some specialized reagents that undergo addition reactions with alkenes. 

Electrophilic addition of a hydrogen halide to an alkene is the addition of a halogen (Cl, Br, or I) and H across the carbon-carbon double bond. The reaction occurs with Markovnikov regioselectivity with the H adding to the carbon with the greater number of hydrogens. 

When allylic alcohols are used as an alkene component in the reaction with aryl halides, elimination of /3-hydrogen takes place from the oxygen-bearing carbon, and aldehydes or ketones are obtained, rather than y-arylated allylic alcohoIs[87,88]. The reaction of allyl alcohol with bromobenzene affords dihydrocinnamaldehyde. The reaction of methallyl alcohol (96) with aryl halides is a good synthetic method for dihydro-2-methylcinnamaldehyde (97). 

---