Radical Structure and Stability

The foregoing discussion shows that the approach taken does not necessarily provide the organic chemist with an answer to the question of special effects on the radical centre in captodative-substituted radicals. Stabilization of the radical centre and stabilization of the complete radical structure must be considered separately. It is only the latter situation which can be dealt with by the approach of Leroy and coworkers. 

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. 

Syntheses have been carried out on polymer-polymer, polymer-monomer, and polymer-filler systems. The properties of the products obtained can vary widely according to chemical structure and the conditions of mastication (temperature, mixing intensity, presence and nature of radical acceptors and stabilizers, atmosphere, solvents and ratio of blend components). 

The major carbon centered reaction intermediates in multistep reactions are carboca-tions (carbenium ions), carbanions, free radicals, and carbenes. Formation of most of these from common reactants is an endothermic process and is often rate determining. By the Hammond principle, the transition state for such a process should resemble the reactive intermediate. Thus, although it is usually difficult to assess the bonding in transition states, factors which affect the structure and stability of reactive intermediates will also be operative to a parallel extent in transition states. We examine the effect of substituents of the three kinds discussed above on the four different reactive intermediates, taking as our reference the parent systems [ ]+, [ ]-, [ ], and [ CI I21-... 

Not surprisingly, nitriles that liberate cyanide more readily are more toxic. Logically, structural features that are expected to increase a-carbon radical formation and stability are likely to favor hydrogen atom abstraction from the a-carbon. The more quickly hydrogen atom abstraction occurs at the a-carbon, the more quickly cyanohydrin formation occurs and the more quickly cyanide is released and, hence, the more toxic the nitrile is expected to be. 

As expected, fluorine substitution has some consequences on structure and stability of the radicals, which are different from the hydrocarbon counterparts. a-F radicals prefer the pyramidal structure because of minimizing 1 repulsion. The trifluoromethyl radical F3C is essentially tetrahedral and has a significant barrier to inversion of about 25 kcal mol - .39 In contrast, the methyl radical H3C itself is planar. Fluorine /J to the radical site is of minor structural consequence. Thus, the pcrfluoro-/er/-butyl radical exhibits a more planar geometry. 

The electronic structure of donor and acceptor components is more or less predictable and the general relationship between, for example, structure and donor (acceptor) strength or structure and stability of ion radicals, is quite familiar to organic chemists. The design of new electronic structures is not only quite possible but represents the main trend of current research activities in the field. On the other hand, only preliminary steps have been made toward predicting and designing of crystal structure [15-17]. 

Hyperconjugation by a C-Sn o bond (and indeed by most carbon-metal a bonds) is much more effective than C-H hyperconjugation, and it is an important factor in determining the structure and stability of not only radicals and cations, but also of compounds with filled n systems such as allyl-, benzyl-, and cyclopentadienyl-stannanes. The importance of vinyl-, allyl-, and aryl-stannanes in organic synthesis owes much to the stabilisation of radical and cation intermediates by a stannyl substituent, and under suitable conditions this can accelerate a reaction by a factor of more than 1014. 

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