Mechanism alkane chlorination

Bromination of alkanes follows the same mechanism as chlorination. The only difference is the reactivity of the radical i.e., the chlorine radical is much more reactive than the bromine radical. Thus, the chlorine radical is much less selective than the bromine radical, and it is a useful reaction when there is only one kind of hydrogen in the molecule. If a radical substitution reaction yields a product with a chiral centre, the major product is a racemic mixture. For example, radical chlorination of n-butane produces a 71% racemic mixture of 2-chlorobutane, and bromination of n-butane produces a 98% racemic mixture of 2-bromobutane. 

The first step in preparing the very useful elastomer Hypalon involves treating a mixture of long-chain alkanes, H(CH2) H, where n =50-200, with sulfuryl chloride (S02C 2) in the presence of substances that can initiate radical-chain chlorination, as described in Section 4-5B. The product molecules contain many C-CI bonds and a few C-S02-Cl bonds, the latter of which are subsequently used in a curing step to improve the physical properties. How can the chain mechanism for chlorination with S02CI2 be modified to account for the formation of C-S02-Cl bonds ... 

It will be worthwhile to examine the mechanism of chlorination of methane in some detail. The same mechanism holds for bromination as well as chlorination, and for other alkanes as well as methane it even holds for many compounds which, while not alkanes, contain alkane-like portions in their molecules. Closely... 

Bromination of alkanes follows the same mechanism as chlorination, mechanism for the monobromination of ethane... 

Sulfuryl chloride (SO2CI2, see below for structure) is a liquid reagent that may be used for chlorinations of alkanes as a substitute for gaseous elemental chlorine. Propose a mechanism for chlorination of CH4 using sulfuryl chloride. (Hint Follow the usual model for a radical chain process, substituting SO2CI2 for CI2 where appropriate.)... 

Bromine reacts with alkanes by a free radical chain mechanism analogous to that of chlorine There is an important difference between chlorination and brommation how ever Brommation is highly selective for substitution of tertiary hydrogens The spread m reactivity among pnmary secondary and tertiary hydrogens is greater than 10 ... 

Structurally simple alJkyl halides can sometimes be prepared by reaction of an alkane with Cl2 or Br2 through a radical chain-reaction pathway (Section 5.3). Although inert to most reagents, alkanes react readily with Cl2 or Br2 in the presence of light to give alkyl halide substitution products. The reaction occurs by the radical mechanism shown in Figure 10.1 for chlorination. 

Chain termination. The chlorination of alkanes by rm-butyl hypochlorite is believed to follow a chain mechanism, but there is a dispute about the termination step.10 Derive the steady-state rate equation for each, making the long-chain approximation. 

Because at 80°C, S — 0.5, and at 100°C no sulfochlorination at all takes place, the process is run between 35 °C and 40°C. The selectivity also depends on the molar ratio of sulfur dioxide to chlorine. Provided that there is a fine dispersion of the reacting gases in the alkane for a molar ratio of 3, the selectivity approaches 0.98 (Fig. 5). Sufficient turbulence in the reaction medium (supported by additional mechanical energy) means that the sulfochlorination itself proceeds at the gas-liquid interface. 

The radical chain mechanism of the sulfochlorination is very similar to that of the chlorination. Accordingly, in normal cases the regioselectivities of the sulfochlorination and the chlorination are equal. For example, (-1) substituents decrease the reactivities of the adjacent C-H bond. This influence can even be observed at the y position. Thus, the consecutive second sulfochlorination affords no geminal or vicinal disulfochlorides in the product. Where there are differences between the regioselectivities of sulfochlorination and chlorination (as in the case of isoalkanes), it is because under the conditions of sulfochlorination, chlorination also takes place to a considerable extent. Figure 6 shows the main components of a sulfochlorination mixture. Today the kinetics and the regioselectivity of the sulfochlorination of /z-alkanes are so well known that the kinetic modeling of the concentration-conversion curves is possible for all partners of the reaction [12]. 

The results of kinetic studies suggest that alkane substitution reactions typically proceed by a radical chain mechanism (Section 13.9). The initiation step in the chlorination of methane is the dissociation of chlorine ... 

Bromination and chlorination of alkanes and cycloalkanes can also take place by an electrophilic mechanism if the reaction is catalyzed by AgSbFs. " Direct chlorination at a vinylic position by an electrophilic mechanism has been achieved... 

No systematic studies of a number of compoimds have yet appeared to discover correlations suggestive of mechanism. This paper presents the fractional conversions and reaction rates measured under reference conditions (50 mg contaminants/m ) in air at 7% relative humidity (1000 mg/m H2O), for 18 compounds including representatives of the important contaminant classes of alcohols, ethers, alkanes, chloroethenes, chloroalkanes, and aromatics. Plots of these conversions and rates vs. hydroxyl radical and chlorine radical rate constants, vs. the reactant coverage (dark conditions), and vs. the product of rate constant times coverage are constructed to discern which of the proposed mechanistic suggestions appear dominant. 

Free-radical mechanisms obviously involve free radicals. A free radical is a species with an unpaired electron. In these mechanisms, single-headed curved arrows eire the norm. In Organic Chemistry 1, these free radicals first appear when excimining the chlorination of an alkane such as methane. The process begins with an initiation step as shown in Figure 2-14. (All initiation steps increase the number of free radicals.)... 

CIS-[Ru(H20)2(dinso) ] is made from as-RuClj(dmso) and Ag(BF ) in aq. EtOH. The system c/s-[Ru(H20)j(dmso) ] Vaq. Na(ClO) or TBHP/CH Cl oxidised alkanes such as adamantane, cyclo-octane, -heptane and -hexane to the corresponding alcohols and ketones as did [Ru(Hj0) PWjj(0)3g ] . A free-radical mechanism may be involved for the TBHP oxidations, but those with (C10) probably involve oxoruthenate(VI) or oxoruthenate(IV) intermediates [823], The oxidative destruction of a-chlorinated alkenes by CM-[Ru(HjO)2(dmso) ] Vaq. Oxone /Me(CH3) jN(HSO ) MCj to carboxylic acids and ultimately to CO and HCl was reported [946],... 

Halogenation of alkanes had long been known, and in 1930 the kinetics of the chlorination of chloroform to carbon tetrachloride were reported by Schwab and Heyde (equation 40), while the kinetics of the chlorination of methane were described by Pease and Walz in 1931. Both of these studies showed the currently accepted mechanism, which was extended to reactions in solution by Hass et al. in 1936. The free radical halogenation mechanism of other alkanes was described by Kharasch and co-workers, ° including side chain halogenation of toluene. 

Chlorination (and bromination) of alkanes such as methane, CH., has a radical-chain mechanism, as follows INITIATION STEP... 

Bromination and chlorination of alkanes and cycloalkanes can also take place by an electrophilic mechanism if the reaction is catalyzed by AgSbF. "2 Direct chlorination at a vinylic position by an electrophilic mechanism has been achieved with benzenescleninyl chloride PhSe(0)Cl and AIC13 or AIBr3. n However, while some substituted alkenes give high yields of chloro substitution products, others (such as styrene) undergo addition of Cl2 to the double bond (5-26).113 Electrophilic fluorination has already been mentioned (p. 690). 

A significant observation concerning bromine addition is that it and many of the other reactions listed on page 360 proceed in the dark and are not influenced by radical inhibitors. This is evidence against a radical-chain mechanism of the type involved in the halogenation of alkanes (Section 4-4D). However, it does not preclude the operation of radical-addition reactions under other conditions, and, as we shall see later in this chapter, bromine, chlorine, and many other reagents that commonly add to alkenes by ionic mechanisms also can add by radical mechanisms. 

Figure 9.25 shows the correlation coefficient of 0.9636 between the hydroxyl radical rate constants and UV/Ti02 rate constants for chlorinated alkanes. Therefore, the reaction mechanism for the degradation of chlorinated alkanes by UV/Ti02 is similar to the reaction with hydroxyl radical. This correlation suggests that the reaction proceeds via hydroxyl radical attack on the chlorinated alkane. 

Alkanes are fuels they burn in air if ignited. Complete combustion gives carbon dioxide and water less complete combustion gives carbon monoxide or other less oxidized forms of carbon. Alkanes react with halogens (chlorine or bromine) in a reaction initiated by heat or light. One or more hydrogens can be replaced by halogens. This substitution reaction occurs by a free-radical chain mechanism. 

Rather than using the halogens themselves, other halo n radical donors are more commonly used in laboratory scale synthesis. One of the simplest of these is CCU, which can chlorinate alkanes by a free radical chain mechanism.The chain lengths are not very long (equations 76-78), because of their slightly endothermic nature and in part because the reaction is also kinetically rather slow. Elevated temperatures are therefore normally required. Nitrosylchloride at 1(X) C has also been used for these reactions. ... 

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