Nucleophilic radical

Frcc-Radical Reactions. Eree-radical reactions of maleic anhydride are important in polymeri2ations and monomer synthesis. Nucleophilic radicals such as the one from cyclohexane [110-82-7] serve as hydrogen donors that add to maleic anhydride at the double bond to form cyclohexylsuccinic anhydride [5962-96-9] (20) (63). 

CgH COO from BPO. The first type involves direct radical displacement on the oxygen—oxygen bond and is the preferred mode for nucleophilic radicals, eg, -CH(R)OR7 The second type involves radical addition to, or abstraction from, the hydrocarbyl group adjacent to the peroxide this is the preferred mode for electrophilic radicals, eg, Cl C (eq. 32). In the last type (eq. 33), there is hydrogen donation from certain hydrogen-donating radicals, eg, ketyls (52,187,188,199). 

An interesting method for the substitution of a hydrogen atom in rr-electron deficient heterocycles was reported some years ago, in the possibility of homolytic aromatic displacement (74AHC(16)123). The nucleophilic character of radicals and the important role of polar factors in this type of substitution are the essentials for a successful reaction with six-membered nitrogen heterocycles in general. No paper has yet been published describing homolytic substitution reactions of pteridines with nucleophilic radicals such as alkyl, carbamoyl, a-oxyalkyl and a-A-alkyl radicals or with amino radical cations. 

The traditional means of assessment of the sensitivity of radical reactions to polar factors and establishing the electrophilicity or nucleophilieity of radicals is by way of a Hammett op correlation. Thus, the reactions of radicals with substituted styrene derivatives have been examined to demonstrate that simple alkyl radicals have nucleophilic character38,39 while haloalkyl radicals40 and oxygcn-ccntcrcd radicals " have electrophilic character (Tabic 1.4). It is anticipated that electron-withdrawing substituents (e.g. Cl, F, C02R, CN) will enhance overall reactivity towards nucleophilic radicals and reduce reactivity towards electrophilic radicals. Electron-donating substituents (alkyl) will have the opposite effect. 

For olefins with Ji-substitucnts, whether electron-withdrawing or electron-donating, both the HOMO and LUMO have the higher coefficient 021 the carbon atom remote from the substituent. A predominance of tail addition is expected as a consequence. However, for non-conjugated substituents, or those with lone pairs (e.g. the halo-olefins), the HOMO and LUMO are polarized in opposite directions. This may result in head addition being preferred in the case of a nucleophilic radical interacting with such an olefin. Thus, the data for attack of alkyl and fluoroalkyl radicals on the fluoro-olefins (Table 1.2) have been rationalized in terms of FMO theory.16 Where the radical and olefin both have near neutral philicity, the situation is less clear.21... 

However, the situation is not as clear-cut as it might at first seem since a variety of other factors may also contribute to the above-mentioned trend. Abuin et a/.141 pointed out that the transition state for addition is sterically more demanding than that for hydrogen-atom abstraction. Within a given series (alkyl or alkoxy), the more nucleophilic radicals are generally the more bulky (i.e. steric factors favor the same trends). It can also be seen from Tabic 1.6 that, for alkyl radicals, the values of D decrease in the series primary>secondary>tertiary (i.e. relative bond strengths favor the same trend). 

The rate of oxidation/reduction of radicals is strongly dependent on radical structure. Transition metal reductants (e.g. TiMt) show selectivity for electrophilic radicals (e.g. those derived by tail addition to acrylic monomers or alkyl vinyl ketones - Scheme 3.89) >7y while oxidants (CuM, Fe,M) show selectivity for nucleophilic radicals (e.g. those derived from addition to S - Scheme 3,90).18 A consequence of this specificity is that the various products from the reaction of an initiating radical with monomers will not all be trapped with equal efficiency and complex mixtures can arise. 

Alkyl mercuric hydrides are generated in situ by reduction of an alkyl mercuric salt with sodium borohydridc (Scheme 3.91). Their use as radical traps was first reported by Hill and Whitesides491 and developed for the study of radical-olefin reactions by Giese,489490 Tirrell492 and coworkers. Careful choice of reagents and conditions provides excellent yields of adducts of nucleophilic radicals (e.g. -hexyl, cyclohexyl, /-butyl, alkoxyalkyl) to electron-deficient monomers (e.g. acrylics). 

Thiols react more rapidly with nucleophilic radicals than with electrophilic radicals. They have very large Ctr with S and VAc, but near ideal transfer constants (C - 1.0) with acrylic monomers (Table 6.2). Aromatic thiols have higher C,r than aliphatic thiols but also give more retardation. This is a consequence of the poor reinitiation efficiency shown by the phenylthiyl radical. The substitution pattern of the alkanethiol appears to have only a small (<2-fokl) effect on the transfer constant. Studies on the reactions of small alkyl radicals with thiols indicate that the rate of the transfer reaction is accelerated in polar solvents and, in particular, water.5 Similar trends arc observed for transfer to 1 in S polymerization with Clr = 1.4 in benzene 3.6 in CUT and 6.1 in 5% aqueous CifiCN.1 In copolymerizations, the thiyl radicals react preferentially with electron-rich monomers (Section 3.4.3.2). 

The halocarbons react more rapidly with nucleophilic radicals than with electrophilic radicals. Thus, values of Cir with S and VAc are substantially higher than those with acrylic monomers ( fable 6.4) where the transfer constant is close to ideal (Clr=l.0). The haloalkyl radicals formed have electrophilic character (Section 2.3,2). 

The coupling reaction of arenediazonium ions with semidione radicals (12.84, obtainable by reduction of 1,2-diketones, 12.83) is also included here in the discussion of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, although it is a coupling with a nucleophilic radical and does not strictly belong in this context. The reaction (Scheme 12-43) was... 

Two-component methods represent the most widely applied principles in sulfone syntheses, including C—S bond formation between carbon and RSOz species of nucleophilic, radical or electrophilic character as well as oxidations of thioethers or sulfoxides, and cheletropic reactions of sulfur dioxide. Three-component methods use sulfur dioxide as a binding link in order to connect two carbons by a radical or polar route, or use sulfur trioxide as an electrophilic condensation agent to combine two hydrocarbon moieties by a sulfonyl bridge with elimination of water. 

The regioselectivity in radical addition reactions to alkenes in general has successfully been interpreted by a combination of steric and electronic effects1815,47. In the absence of steric effects, regiochemical preferences can readily be explained with FMO theory. The most relevant polyene orbital for the addition of nucleophilic radicals to polyenes will be the LUMO for the addition of electrophilic orbitals it will be the HOMO. Table 10 lists the HOMO and LUMO coefficients (without the phase sign) for the first three members of the polyene family together with those for ethylene as calculated from Hiickel theory and with the AMI semiempirical method48. 

A first turning point in the dichotomy between radical and ionic chemistry is located at the level of the primary radical, usually an ion radical, formed upon single electron transfer to the substrate. If, for a reduction, the reaction medium is not too acidic (or electrophilic), and for an oxidation, not too basic (or nucleophilic), radical reactions involving the primary radical, such as self-coupling, have a first opportunity to compete successfully with acid-base reactions. In this competition, the acidity (for a reduction) or basicity (for an oxidation) of the substrate should also be taken into account insofar as they may lead to father-son acid-base reactions. It should also be taken into consideration that the primary radical may undergo spontaneous acid-base reactions such as expelling a base (or a nucleophile) after a reduction, and an acid (or an electrophile) after an oxidation. 

The chemical behavior of heteroatom-substituted vinylcarbene complexes is similar to that of a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (Figure 2.17) [206]. It is possible to perform Michael additions [217,230], 1,4-addition of cuprates [151], additions of nucleophilic radicals [231], 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions [232,233], inter-[234-241] or intramolecular [220,242] Diels-Alder reactions, as well as Simmons-Smith- [243], sulfur ylide- [244] or diazomethane-mediated [151] cyclopropanati-ons of the vinylcarbene C-C double bond. The treatment of arylcarbene complexes with organolithium reagents ean lead via conjugate addition to substituted 1,4-cyclohexadien-6-ylidene complexes [245]. 

Non- nucleophilic" radicals, e.g. alkyl radicals not substituted by a hetero atom at C do not... 

In order to measure the absorption spectra, the radical anions were generated electrochemically in the optical path of a spectrophotometer. The absorption spectrum of 3,5-dinitroanisole radical anion (Figure 11, curve c) is very similar to that of the 550-570 nm species produced photochemically. So we believe this species to be the radical anion formed by electron transfer from the nucleophile to the excited 3,5-dinitroanisole and decaying by interaction with its surroundings including the nucleophile radical cation. The behaviour described seems to be rather general for aromatic nitro-compounds since it is observed with a series of these compounds with various nucleophilic reagents. 

Thus the overall picture of homolytic substitution of heteroaromatic compounds has undergone only minor modification as regards arylation, but very great modification as regards substitution with nucleophilic radicals, since Norman and Radda reviewed the field in these Advances. 

This awareness in a short time led to new homolytic aromatic substitutions, characterized by high selectivity and versatility. Further developments along these lines can be expected, especially as regards reactions of nucleophilic radicals with protonated heteroaromatic bases, owing to the intrinsic interest of these reactions and to the fact that classical direct ionic substitution (electrophilic and nucleophilic) has several limitations in this class of compound and does not always offer alternative synthetic solutions. Homolytic substitution in heterocyclic compounds can no longer be considered the Cinderella of substitution reactions. 

The Co(I) reduction of alkyl iodides which afford nucleophilic radicals has proven useful in a synthesis of acromelic acid A [139]. In a sense contrapolarization is involved and a Michael addition follows. 

Free-radical additions can occur with any type of substrate. The determining factor is the presence of a free-radical attacking species. Some reagents, e.g., HBr. RSH, attack by ionic mechanisms if no initiator is present, but in the presence of a free-radical initiator, the mechanism changes and the addition is of the free-radical type. Nucleophilic radicals... 

Substitution at the terminal position of the allylstannane, as in crotonyltributyl stannane, however, is not tolerated, because hydrogen abstraction from the allylic position is a competing reaction [21], An extension of the method involves the coupling of the anomeric radical precursors 28 with the allyltributyltin reagent 29 [14], In the reagent 29 the double bond is activated toward addition of nucleophilic radicals by the electron-withdrawing t-butoxy carbonyl group. The obtained product 30 has been useful en route to 3-deoxy-D-marmo-2-octulosonic acid (KDO). 

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