Radical addition/elimination

A5-hexenyl substituent, extensive cyclization occurs to yield the cyclopentylcarbinyl product from the yields of uncyclized and cyclized products for A5-hexenylmercury chloride, the rate constants for equation 50 have been estimated (vide supra). The SH2 reaction 49 has also been invoked to be the key step in the alkylation of -substituted styrenes by a free-radical addition-elimination sequence, namely96... 

This problem is not so severe when acyl xanthates are used as precursors because these substrates absorb in the visible region, while the products do not (however, the products might still be recycled to the radical pool by radical addition-elimination). Visible light photolysis of benzoyl xanthane (42) and allyl acetate provides (43) in 60% yield. Standard (ionic) 3-elimination of the xanthane is a facile reaction that gives (44). When the tertiary acyl xanthane (45) is irradiated in the presence of W-benzylmaleimide... 

Vinyltins were used for synthetic purposes in radical addition-elimination sequences. The main limitation comes from the necessity to functionalize the olefin by groups such as esters able to stabilize the transient carbon-centred radical573. Phenyl-substituted systems proved to be reactive as well, whereas methyl- and cyclohexenyl-substituted ones failed to react574. An intramolecular version was developed giving access to methylene cyclopentane units (equation 44)575. 

Castle and Widdowson were first to disclose alkyl-alkyl Kumada coupling reactions catalyzed by Pd(dppf)Cl2 [195]. This report was later questioned and corrected by Scott [196]. Matsubara and colleagues established formal Stille-type coupling reactions of perfluoroalkyl halides with allyl, alkynyl, or vinyl stannanes catalyzed by 10 mol% of Pd(PPh3)4, which have to be considered, however, better as radical addition/elimination reactions rather than as coupling reactions (see Sect. 3.1) [184],... 

The mechanism for the radical addition-elimination, promoted by alkyl- or acyl-cobalt reagent can be explained by Michael addition followed by dehydrocobaltation (Scheme 29). 

Scheme 29. Mechanism of radical addition-elimination protocol for alkyl or acyl cobalt reagents...

Interesting and novel cardon-cardon bond-forming radical reactions have been applied to halogenated derivatives, xanthate esters and related compounds. One paper describes the use of vinylstannanes which involves radical addition, elimination pro-cesses (Scheme 15) another uses allylstannanes (Scheme 16). 

Radical addition-elimination mechanism with participation of an electrophilic V(IV)-00 species was proposed for aromatic hydroxylation by a peroxo complex [V0(02)(pic)(Hj0)2] (pic=picolinate) that oxidizes benzene at room temperature in CH CN to produce phenol in a yield of 55%, without any coupling products (Scheme 14.4) [33]. A radical anion was suggested as an alternative hydroxylating species [34]. 

Trimethyl- and dimethyl-tin hydrides react photochemically with penta-carbonyltrifluorovinylrhenium to give reduced vinyl complexes (88)— (90) the rrawj ifluorovinyl complex (90) is the major product, and a free-radical addition-elimination mechanism has been postulated. Hydrido-pentacarbonylmanganese reacts with bis(trifluoromethyl)diazomethane to form the complex (CF3)2CH Mn(CO)j. The reaction of HMnCCX)) with... 

In studies devoted to the synthesis of the alkaloid (+)-montabuphine (Scheme 25.50), the octahydroindole moiety was assembled by a radical addition/elimination process from 104, which embodies a sulfide as the proradical and a vinylhaUde as the radical acceptor. After the formation of the C C bond, the resulting cyclohexyl radical underwent a fragmentation process with the adjacent chlorine atom to diastereoselectively give 105. ... 

Kinetics of the reaction of p-nitrochlorobenzene with the sodium enolate of ethyl cyanoacetate are consistent with this mechanism. Also, radical scavengers have no effect on the reaction, contrary to what would be expected for a chain mechanism in which aryl radicals would need to encounter the enolate in a propagation step. The reactant, /i-nitrophenyl chloride, however, is one which might also react by the addition-elimination mechanism, and the postulated mechanism is essentially the stepwise electron-transfer version of this mechanism. The issue then becomes the question of whether the postulated radical pair is a distinct intermediate. 

The stereospecificity of the methylene transfer provides compelling support for a concerted mechanism and this conclusion has rarely been disputed. It is instructive, however, to review the experimental evidence that allowed for the elimination of the alternative mechanistic proposals, namely, a radical addition and a carbome-tallation (Scheme 3.4). 

Chlorination. Electrophilic chlorination of quinoline (66) in neutral medium showed a positional selectivity order of 3 > 6 > 8. The 5- and 8-positions should be sterically hindered to some extent. Hammett cr+ values predict an order for electrophilic substitution of 5 > 8 = 6 > 3. Treatment with chlorine at 160-190°C converted quinoline into a mixture of 3-chloro-, 3,4-dichloro-, 3,4,6- and 3,4,8-trichloro-, 3,4,6,8-tetrachloro-, and 3,4,6,7,8-pentachloro-quinolines. At lower temperatures ( 100°C) the major product was 3-chloroquinoline, albeit in low yield. The 4-substituted species may have arisen from an addition-elimination or radical process (70JHC171). 

Two pathways for the reaction of sulfate radical anion with monomers have been described (Scheme 3.81).252 These are (A) direct addition to the double bond or (B) electron transfer to generate a radical cation. The radical cation may also be formed by an addition-elimination sequence. It has been postulated that the radical cation can propagate by either cationic or a radical mechanism (both mechanisms may occur simultaneously). However, in aqueous media the cation is likely to hydrate rapidly to give a hydroxyelhyl chain end. 

In the case of electron-deficient monomers (e.g, acrylics) it is accepted that reaction occurs by initial addition of the sulfate radical anion to the monomer. Reactions of sulfate radical anion with acrylic acid derivatives have been shown to give rise to the sulfate adduct under neutral or basic conditions but under acidic conditions give the radical cation probahly by an addition-elimination process. 

Early investigations have indicated that sulfinyl radicals apparently do not add, at least in the usual way, to olefmic double bonds24. However, some recent results by lino and Matsuda25 obtained by studying the thermal decomposition of benzhydryl p-tolyl and benzhydryl methyl sulfoxides in the presence of cis-/2-deuteriostyrene lead one to believe that sulfinyl radicals add reversibly to CH2 =CHPh. The molar ratio of trans to cis /3-deuteriostyrene that they observed at nearly 50% conversion was explained by addition-elimination reaction of sulfinyl radicals. 

Some of the reactions in this chapter operate by still other mechanisms, among them an addition-elimination mechanism (see 13-15). A new mechanism has been reported in aromatic chemistry, a reductively activated polar nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The reaction of phenoxide with p-dinitrobenzene in DMF shows radical features that cannot be attributed to a radical anion, and it is not Srn2. The new designation was proposed to account for these results. 

Many chemical reactions can be classified by either abstraction or addition-elimination mechanisms. Abstraction mechanisms are common in the reaction of radicals with closed-shell species, such as the reaction... 

By contrast, addition-elimination mechanisms in their simplest form begin with formation of an addition complex resulting from a well on the PES, followed by dissociation of the complex, yielding products. Both the entrance to and exit from the well may be hindered by barriers on the PES. Addition mechanisms are uncommon in radical -b saturated closed-shell reactions due to the difficulty of bond formation with the saturated species (ion-molecule reactions are exceptions). By contrast, additions are more common in radical -b unsaturated closed-shell species, where the double or triple bond allows a low barrier or barrierless pathway for addition of the radical into the 7i-bond of the stable species, such as the reaction... 

The reductive elimination of a variety of )3-substituted sulfones for the preparation of di-and tri-substituted olefins (e.g. 75 to 76) and the use of allyl sulfones as synthetic equivalents of the allyl dianion CH=CH—CHj , has prompted considerable interest in the [1,3]rearrangements of allylic sulfones ". Kocienski has thus reported that while epoxidation of allylic sulfone 74 with MCPBA in CH2CI2 at room temperature afforded the expected product 75, epoxidation in the presence of two equivalents of NaHCOj afforded the isomeric j ,y-epoxysulfone 77. Similar results were obtained with other a-mono- or di-substituted sulfones. On the other hand, the reaction of y-substituted allylic sulfones results in the isomerization of the double bond, only. The following addition-elimination free radical chain mechanism has been suggested (equations 45, 46). In a closely related and simultaneously published investigation, Whitham and coworkers reported the 1,3-rearrangement of a number of acyclic and cyclic allylic p-tolyl sulfones on treatment with either benzoyl peroxide in CCI4 under reflux or with... 

---