Radical stabilities

Free radicals like carbocations have an unfilled 2p orbital and are stabilized by substituents such as alkyl groups that release electrons Consequently the order of free radical stability parallels that of carbocations... 

The cyanoacryhc esters are prepared via the Knoevenagel condensation reaction (5), in which the corresponding alkyl cyanoacetate reacts with formaldehyde in the presence of a basic catalyst to form a low molecular weight polymer. The polymer slurry is acidified and the water is removed. Subsequendy, the polymer is cracked and redistilled at a high temperature onto a suitable stabilizer combination to prevent premature repolymerization. Strong protonic or Lewis acids are normally used in combination with small amounts of a free-radical stabilizer. 

Although the anionic polymerization mechanism is the predominant one for the cyanoacryhc esters, the monomer will polymerize free-radically under prolonged exposure to heat or light. To extend the usable shelf life, free-radical stabilizers such as quinones or hindered phenols are a necessary part of the adhesive formulation. 

Table 12.4. Substituent Effects on Radical Stability from Measurements of Bond Dissociation Energies and Theoretical Calculations of Radical Stabilization Energies...

The radical stabilization provided by various functional groups results in reduced bond dissociation energies for bonds to the stabilized radical center. Some bond dissociation energy values are given in Table 12.6. As an example of the effect of substituents on bond dissociation energies, it can be seen that the primary C—H bonds in acetonitrile (86 kcal/mol) and acetone (92kcal/mol) are significantly weaker than a primaiy C—H... 

Total radical stabilization energy of 19.8 kcal/mol implies 10 kcal/mol of excess radical stabilization relative to the combined substituents. CH—N(CH3)2 rotational barrier is > 17 kcal/mol, implying strong resonance interaction. 

According to these data, which structural features provide stabilization of radial centers Determine the level of agreement between these data and the radical stabilization energies given in Table 12.7 if the standard C—H bond dissociation energy is taken to be 98.8 kcal/mol. (Compare the calculated and observed bond dissociation energies for the benzyl, allyl, and vinyl systems.)... 

The new free radical stabilizes itself by splitting out a simple molecule such as olefin or CO ... 

The reaction rates and product yields of [2+2] cycloadditions are expectedly enhanced by electronic factors that favor radical formation. Olefins with geminal capto-dative substituents are especially efficient partners (equations 33 and 34) because of the synergistic effect of the electron acceptor (capto) with the electron donor (dative) substituents on radical stability [95]... 

Radical stability can often be explained in the same way as ion stability molecules that delocalize unpaired electrons tend to be more stable. Display spin density surfaces for 1-propyl and 2-propyl radicals. In which is the unpaired electron more delocalized Is this also the lower-energy radical ... 

Thomson --TV Click Organic Interactive to use bond dissociation energies to predict organic reactions and radical stability. 

While it is desirable and important to have some knowledge of radical stabilities, the following sections will show that this is only one, and often not the major, factor in determining the outcome of radical reactions. 

However, steric factors are also important.74 Ruchardt and coworkers showed, for a series of acyclic alkyl derivatives, that a good correlation exists between kd and ground state strain.75,76 Additional factors are important for bicyclic and other conformationally constrained azo-compounds.49 51 77 Wolf78 has described a scheme for calculating kd based on radical stability (HOMO Jt-deloealization energies) and ground state strain (stcric parameters). 

Most monomers have an asymmetric substitution pattern and the two ends of the double bond are distinct. For mono- and 1,1-disubstituted monomers (Section 4,3.1) it is usual to call the less substituted end "the tail" and the more substituted end "the head". Thus the terminology evolved for two modes of addition head and tail and for the three types of linkages hcad-to-tail, hcad-to-hcad and tail-to-ta.il. For 1,2-di-, tri- and tetrasubstituted monomers definitions of head and tail are necessarily more arbitrary. The term "head" has been used for that end with the most substituents, the largest substituents or the best radical stabilizing substituent (Scheme 4.4). 

The above argument is also at odds with the conventional wisdom that the well-known tendency for monomer alternation in copolymerization can primarily be attributed to polar factors. It was suggested9 that, in most cases, radical stabilization could provide an alternate explanation. A discussion on the relative importance of steric polar and radical stabilization effects on radical addition appears in Section 2.3. 

Free radicals, stabilization by sulphinyl and sulphonyl groups 533-535 Furans 638, 679, 840... 

Developments in the synthesis and characterization of stable silylenes (RiSi ) open a new route for the generation of silyl radicals. For example, dialkylsilylene 2 is monomeric and stable at 0 °C, whereas N-heterocyclic silylene 3 is stable at room temperature under anaerobic conditions. The reactions of silylene 3 with a variety of free radicals have been studied by product characterization, EPR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations (Reaction 3). EPR studies have shown the formation of several radical adducts 4, which represent a new type of neutral silyl radicals stabilized by delocalization. The products obtained by addition of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-l-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) to silylenes 2 and 3 has been studied in some detail. ... 

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