Radicals, anti-Markovnikov

More stable radical anti-Markovnikov product... 

This radical anti-Markovnikov addition of HX to alkenes is restricted to HBr both HI and HCl add in a Markovnikov fashion by an ionic... 

The alkylating agent, 1-bromobutane, is prepared from 1-butene by free-radical (anti-Markovnikov) addition of hydrogen bromide. 

Free radical anti-Markovnikov addition of coordinated phosphine to non-coor-dinated alkene, a still relatively rarely explored reaction providing the effective formation of a C-P bond, remains a promising strategy for macrocycle formation. 

The mechanism of the addition reaction under these conditions is not an ionic sequence rather, it is a much faster radical chain sequence. The reason is that the activation energies of the component steps of radical reactions are very small, as we observed earlier during the discussion of the radical halogenation of alkanes (Section 3-4). Consequently, in the presence of radicals, anti-Markovnikov hydrobromination simply outpaces the regular addition pathway. The initiation steps are... 

A typical example of a nonpolymeric chain-propagating radical reaction is the anti-Markovnikov addition of hydrogen sulfide to a terminal olefin. The mechanism involves alternating abstraction and addition reactions in the propagating steps ... 

The presence of free radicals can invert this rule, to form anti-Markovnikov products. Free-radical addition in this fashion produces a radical on the central carbon, C-2, which is more stable than the allyl radical. This carbon can then experience further addition. For example, acid-catalyzed addition of... 

The rate of addition depends on the concentration of both the butylene and the reagent HZ. The addition requires an acidic reagent and the orientation of the addition is regioselective (Markovnikov). The relative reactivities of the isomers are related to the relative stabiUty of the intermediate carbocation and are isobutylene 1 — butene > 2 — butenes. Addition to the 1-butene is less hindered than to the 2-butenes. For hydrogen bromide addition, the preferred orientation of the addition can be altered from Markovnikov to anti-Markovnikov by the presence of peroxides involving a free-radical mechanism. 

Free-Radical Addition. Free-radical attack on a butylene occurs so that the most stable radical carbon stmcture forms. Thus, in peroxide-catalyzed addition of hydrogen haUdes, the addition is anti-Markovnikov. 

Free radical additions to mono-olefins are quite common and can frequently be employed to advantage on a synthetic scale. Formamide, for example, on exposure to sunlight or UV radiation adds to olefins in an anti-Markovnikov sense giving 1 1 adducts that are readily isolated and crystallized. Moreover, since alkyl formamides may be conveniently converted to carboxylic acids by conventional means, the reaction represents a general method of chain extension. 

Se-phenyl areneselenosulfonates (24) undergo facile free-radical addition to alkenes to produce / -phenylseleno sulfones (25) in excellent yield86,87 (see Scheme 7). The addition occurs regiospecifically and affords anti-Markovnikov products contrary to the analogous boron trifluoride catalyzed reaction which produces exclusively Markovnikov and highly stereospecific products86 (equation 37). Reaction 36 has been shown to have the radical... 

In free-radical addition, the main effect seems to be steric. All substrates CH2=CHX are preferentially attacked at the CH2, regardless of the identity of X or of the attacking radical. With a reagent such as HBr, this means that the addition is anti-Markovnikov ... 

Thus the observed orientation in both kinds of HBr addition (Markovnikov electrophilic and anti-Markovnikov free radical) is caused by formation of the secondary intermediate. In the electrophilic case, it forms because it is more stable than the primary in the free-radical case because it is sterically preferred. The stability order of the free-radical intermediates is also usually in the same direction 3°>2°>1° (p. 241), but this factor is apparently less important than the steric factor. Internal alkenes with no groups present to stabilize the radical usually give an approximately 1 1 mixture. 

The addition of hydrogen halides to simple alkenes, in the absence of peroxides, takes place by an electrophilic mechanism, and the orientation is in accord with Markovnikov s rule. " When peroxides are added, the addition of HBr occurs by a free-radical mechanism and the orientation is anti-Markovnikov (p. 985). It must be emphasized that this is true only for HBr. Free-radical addition of HF and HI has never been observed, even in the presence of peroxides, and of HCl only rarely. In the rare cases where free-radieal addition of HCl was noted, the orientation was still Markovnikov, presumably beeause the more stable product was formed. Free-radical addition of HF, HI, and HCl is energetically unfavorable (see the discussions on pp. 900, 910). It has often been found that anti-Markovnikov addition of HBr takes place even when peroxides have not been added. This happens because the substrate alkenes absorb oxygen from the air, forming small amounts of peroxides... 

Stabilize a neighboring, empty p-orbital, so too, alkyl groups can stabilize a neighboring, partially filled orbital. This preference for forming a tertiary radical (rather than a secondary radical) dictates that Br" will attack the less substituted carbon. This explains the observed anti-Markovnikov regiochemistry. 

In both mechanisms, the regiochemistry is determined by a preference for forming the most stable intermediate possible. For example, in the ionic mechanism, adds to produce a tertiary carbocation, rather than a secondary carbocation. Similarly, in the radical mechanism, Br adds to produce a tertiary radical, rather than a secondary radical, hi this respect, the two reactions are very similar. But take special notice of the fundamental difference. In the ionic mechanism, the proton comes on first. However, in the radical mechanism, the bromine comes on first. This critical difference explains why an ionic mechanism gives a Markovnikov addition while a radical mechanism gives an anti-Markovnikov addition. 

We have now seen two pathways for adding HBr across a donble bond the ionic pathway (which gives Markovnikov addition) and the radical pathway (which gives anti-Markovnikov addition). Both pathways are actnally in competition with each other. However, the radical reaction is a mnch faster reaction. Therefore, we can control the regiochemistry of addition by carefully choosing the conditions. If we use a radical initiator, like ROOR, then the radical pathway will predominate, and we will see an anti-Markovnikov addition. If we do not use a radical initiator, then the ionic pathway will predominate, and we will see a Markovnikov addition ... 

In the photoaddition of 2-pyrrolidone the 5-alkyl isomer (69) always predominates, usually in a ratio of 2 1. The formation of anti-Markovnikov 1 1 adducts, telomers, and dehydrodimers of structure (71) supports a free radical mechanism. Similarly, formamide undergoes olefin addition under... 

Anti-Markovnikov addition of HBr to alkynes occur when peroxides are present. 1) These reactions take place through a free radical mechanism. 

Bromine attaches itself to the less hindered carbon atom by a radical mechanism to form the more stable radical intermediate => anti-Markovnikov addition. Radical addition... 

Similar to the addition of secondary phosphine-borane complexes to alkynes described in Scheme 6.137, the same hydrophosphination agents can also be added to alkenes under broadly similar reaction conditions, leading to alkylarylphosphines (Scheme 6.138) [274], Again, the expected anti-Markovnikov addition products were obtained exclusively. In some cases, the additions also proceeded at room temperature, but required much longer reaction times (2 days). Treatment of the phosphine-borane complexes with a chiral alkene such as (-)-/ -pinene led to chiral cyclohexene derivatives through a radical-initiated ring-opening mechanism. In related work, Ackerman and coworkers described microwave-assisted Lewis acid-mediated inter-molecular hydroamination reactions of norbornene [275]. 

Electron transfer sensitization allows either the radical cation or the radical anion of an aromatic alkene to form as desired, which finally results in nucleophile addition with Markovnikov and anti-Markovnikov regiochemistry. In an apolar solvent, the tight radical ion pair undergoes a stereoselective reaction when the electron-accepting sensitizer is chiral (Figure 3.10). ... 

The stereoselectivity of anti-Markovnikov adducts (161) and (162) produced through photo-induced electron-transfer reaction of (160) with MeOH in MeCN depends on the optimum structures and stabilities of the corresponding radical and carbanion intermediates (163) and (164). In PhH, steric hindrance in an exciplex, comprising an excited singlet sensitizer and (160), forced cis addition of MeOH to (160) to give trans-isomer (161) as the major addition product. 

Now, just the same sort of rationalization can be applied to the radical addition, in that the more favourable secondary radical is predominantly produced. This, in turn, leads to addition of HBr in what is the anti-Markovnikov orientation. The apparent difference is because the electrophile in the ionic mechanism is a proton, and bromide then quenches the resultant cation. In the radical reaction, the attacking species is a bromine atom, and a hydrogen atom is then used to quench the radical. This is effectively a reverse sequence for the addition process but, nevertheless, the stability of the intermediate carbocation or radical is the defining feature. The terminologies Markovnikov or anti-Markovnikov orientation may be confusing and difficult to remember consider the mechanism and it all makes sense. 

Substituted cyclopropane systems also undergo nucleophilic addition of suitable solvents (MeOH). For example, the photoinduced ET reaction of 1,2-dimethyl-3-phenylcyclopropane (112, R = Me) with p-dicyanobenzene formed a ring-opened ether by anti-Markovnikov addition. The reaction occurs with essentially complete inversion of configuration at carbon, suggesting a nucleophilic cleavage of a one-electron cyclopropane bond, generating 113. The retention of chirality confirms that the stereochemistry of the parent molecule is unperturbed in the radical cation 112 " ". 

Kharasch and Mayo in 1933," in the first of many papers on the subject, showed that the addition of HBr to allyl bromide in the presence of light and air occurs rapidly to yield 1,3-dibromopropane, whereas in the absence of air and with purified reagents, the reaction is slow and 1,2-dibromopropane is formed. The latter reaction is the normal addition occurring by an ionic pathway giving the Markovnikov orientation. In 1933 the mechanism of the abnormal process ( anti-Markovnikov addition) was not discussed, and it was only in 1937 that the free radical chain mechanism for this process was proposed by Kharasch and his co-workers. "" The mechanism was extended to propene, for which the role of peroxides in promoting the reaction was demonstrated (equations 30, 31). This mechanism was also proposed... 

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