Radicals solvent effects

Decomposition late studies on dialkyl peioxydicaibonates ia vaiious solvents leveal diamatic solvent effects that ptimatily lesult fiom the susceptibiUty of peioxydicaibonates to iaduced decompositions. These studies show a decieasiag oidei of stabiUty of peioxydicaibonates ia solvents as follows TCE > saturated hydrocarbons > aromatic hydrocarbons > ketones (29). Decomposition rates are lowest in TCE where radicals are scavenged before they can induce the decomposition of peroxydicarbonate molecules. 

Entries 4 and 5 point to another important aspect of free-radical reactivity. The data given illustrate that the observed reactivity of the chlorine atom is strongly influenced by the presence of benzene. Evidently, a complex is formed which attenuates the reactivity of the chlorine atom. This is probably a general feature of radical chemistry, but there are relatively few data available on solvent effects on either absolute or relative reactivity of radical intermediates. 

More pronounced solvent effects have been observed in special cases where substrates or products possess ionic character. Ito and Matsuda76 found a 35-fold reduction in the rate of addition of the arenethiyl radical 18 to cx-methylstyrene when the solvent was changed from dimelhylsulfoxide to cyclohexane. Rates for addition of other arenethiyl radicals do not show such a marked solvent dependence. The different behavior was attributed to the radical 18 existing partly in a zwitterionic quinonoid form (Scheme 1,7).77... 

Significant, though smaller, solvent effects have also been reported for alkoxy radical reactions (Section 3.4.2.1).133 137... 

One final point should be made. The observation of significant solvent effects on kp in homopolymerization and on reactivity ratios in copolymerization (Section 8.3.1) calls into question the methods for reactivity ratio measurement which rely on evaluation of the polymer composition for various monomer feed ratios (Section 7.3.2). If solvent effects arc significant, it would seem to follow that reactivity ratios in bulk copolymerization should be a function of the feed composition.138 Moreover, since the reaction medium alters with conversion, the reactivity ratios may also vary with conversion. Thus the two most common sources of data used in reactivity ratio determination (i.e. low conversion composition measurements and composition conversion measurements) are potentially flawed. A corollary of this statement also provides one explanation for any failure of reactivity ratios to predict copolymer composition at high conversion. The effect of solvents on radical copolymerization remains an area in need of further research. 

Solvent effects on radical polymerization have been reviewed by Coote and Davis,59 Coote et. Barton and Borsig,71 Gromov,72 and Kamachi" 1 A summary of kinetic data is also included in Beuennann and Buback s review.74 Most literature on solvent effects on the propagation step of radical polymerization deals with influences of the medium on rate of polymerization. 

Solvent effects on the reactions of small radicals have been discussed in general terms in Chapter 2 (see 2.3.6.2 2.4.5). Small, yet easily discernible, solvent effects have been reported for many reactions involving neutral radicals. These effects on the rates of radical reactions often appear insignificant when... 

The effects of solvent on radical copolymerization are mentioned in a number of reviews.69 72 97,98 For copolymerizations involving monomers that arc ionizablc or form hydrogen bonds (AM, MAM, HEA, HEMA, MAA, etc.) solvent effects on reactivity ratios can be dramatic. Some data for MAA-MMA copolymerization are shown in Table 8.4.w... 

For copolymerizations between non protie monomers solvent effects are less marked. Indeed, early work concluded that the reactivity ratios in copolymerizations involving only non-protic monomers (eg. S, MMA, AN, VAe, etc.) should show no solvent dependence.100101 More recent studies on these and other systems (e.g. AN-S,102-105 E-VAc,106 MAN-S,107 MMA-S,10s "° MMA-VAc1" ) indicate small yet significant solvent effects (some recent data for AN-S copolymerization are shown in Table 8.5). However, the origin of the solvent effect in these cases is not clear. There have been various attempts to rationalize solvent effects on copolymerization by establishing correlations between radical reactivity and various solvent and monomer properties.71,72 97 99 None has been entirely successful. 

Studies on the reactions of small model radicals with monomers provide indirect support but do not prove the bootstrap effect.111 Krstina et ahL i showed that the reactivities of MMA and MAN model radicals towards MMA, S and VAc were independent of solvent. However, small but significant solvent effects on reactivity ratios are reported for MMA/VAc111 and MMA S 7 copolymerizations. For the model systems, where there is no polymer coil to solvate, there should be no bootstrap effect and reactivities are determined by the global monomer ratio [Ma0]/[Mb0].1j1... 

AA sec acrylic acid abstraction sec hydrogen atom transfer abstraction v,v addition and micleophilicity 35 by aikoxy radicals 34-5, 124-5, 392 by alkoxycarbonyloxy radicals 103,127-8 by alkyl radicals 34 5, 113, 116 by f-amyloxy radicals 124 by arenethiyl radicals 132 by aryl radicals 35, 118 by benzovloxy radicals 35, 53, 120, 126 wilh MM a" 53, 120 by /-butovy radicals 35, 53, 55, 124 solvent effects 54, 55. 123 with alkenes 122 3 with ally I acrylates 122 wilh AMS 120, 123 wilh BMA 53, 123 with isopropenvl acetate 121 with MA 120 with MAN 121 with MMA 53, 55, 120.419 with VAc 121 with vinyl ethers 123... 

ESI mass spectrometry ive mass spectrometry ESR spectroscopy set EPR spectroscopy ethyl acetate, chain transfer to 295 ethyl acrylate (EA) polymerizalion, transfer constants, to macromonomers 307 ethyl methacrylate (EMA) polymerization combination v.v disproportionation 255, 262 kinetic parameters 219 tacticity, solvent effects 428 thermodynamics 215 ethyl radicals... 

Remarkable solvent effects on the selective bond cleavage are observed in the reductive elimination of cis-stilbene episulfone by complex metal hydrides. When diethyl ether or [bis(2-methoxyethyl)]ether is used as the solvent, dibenzyl sulfone is formed along with cis-stilbene. However, no dibenzyl sulfone is produced when cis-stilbene episulfone is treated with lithium aluminum hydride in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature (equation 42). Elimination of phenylsulfonyl group by tri-n-butyltin hydride proceeds by a radical chain mechanism (equations 43 and 44). 

Most of the theoretical arguments support the statement of Evans and Polanyi (20), who first argued that AG represents the situation at 0°K better than does AH. The main reason is seen in solvent effects. Dewar expressed this meaning in the most radical manner, saying that determination of AH and AS in solution is simply a waste of time (21). Laidler offered similar ideas and stressed that a theory for AG can be more easily developed than for AH (13, 225). The approach of Hammett is still more general and not restricted to solvent effects (226). According to Hammett, a reaction that is more complex than it appears to the observer and consists of two parallel independent processes will affect the value of AH more than will AG. 

Solvent Effects in the Sn Spectra of Poly(TBTM/MMA). Samples of poly(MMA/TBTM) synthesized by the free-radical copolymerization of the appropriate monomers were solutions in benzene with approximately 33% solids (weight to volume). The particular formulation chosen as representative of the class contained a 1 1 ratio of pendant methyl to tri-n-butyltin groups. In preparing the dry polymer, the benzene was removed in vacuo with nominally 5% by weight residual solvent. 

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