Substituted Alkyl Radical Clocks

Limited examples of substituted alkyl radical clocks are available. Fortunately, some calibrated clocks that are available have rate constants in the middle ranges for radical reactions and should be useful in a number of applications. Examples of clocks based on the 5-exo cyclization of the 5-hexenyl radical are shown in Table 2. The data for the series of radicals 2-1 and 2-2 [17, 32, 34, 35] are from indirect studies, whereas the data for radicals 2-3 and 2-4 [3, 35-38] are from direct LFP studies. The striking feature in these values is the apparent absence of electronic effects on the kinetics as deduced from the consistent values found for secondary radicals in the series 2-1 and 2-3. The dramatic reduction in rate constants for the tertiary radical counterparts that contain the conjugating ester, amide and nitrile groups must, therefore, be due to steric effects. It is likely that these groups enforce planarity at the radical center, and the radicals suffer a considerable energy penalty for pyramidalization that would relieve steric compression in the transition states for cyclization. 

Phenyl-substituted radical clocks (Fig. 6) display definite enthalpy effects that one expects for strong radical-stabilizing groups. The result is that unimolecular clock reactions are orders of magnitude less rapid than their non-substituted counterparts as evidenced in the rate constants at ambient temperatures for 5-exo cyclization of radical 9 [39] and ring openings of radicals 10 [4, 40], 11 [4], and 12 [41]. Note that 

---

The tertiary a-ester (26) and a-cyano (27) radicals react about an order of magnitude less rapidly with Bu3SnH than do tertiary alkyl radicals. On the basis of the results with secondary radicals 28-31, the kinetic effect is unlikely to be due to electronics. The radical clocks 26 and 27 also cyclize considerably less rapidly than a secondary radical counterpart (26 with R = H) or their tertiary alkyl radical analogue (i.e., 26 with R = X = CH3), and the slow cyclization rates for 26 and 27 were ascribed to an enforced planarity in ester- and cyano-substituted radicals that, in the case of tertiary species, results in a steric interaction in the transition states for cyclization.89 It is possible that a steric effect due to an enforced planar tertiary radical center also is involved in the kinetic effect on the tin hydride reaction rate constants. 

The biradical benzo-l,2 4,5-bis(l,3,2-dithiazolyl) (BBDTA) is known in the literature but characterization is incomplete. A new study reports the electronic, molecular, and solid-state structure of BBDTA.224 The lifetime of an alkyl phenylglyoxalate-derived 1,4-biradical has been estimated, using the cyclopropylmethyl radical clock , to be in the range 35—40 ns.225 The indanols (88) and their C(3) methyl and trideuteromethyl analogues have been prepared from phenyl benzyl ketone via photo-cyclization of an intermediate 1,5-biradical species.226,227 Selectivity for these products over their C(l) epimers is high but is profoundly effected by substitution in the benzyl ring or the alkyl side-chain. The findings are rationalized in terms of the conformational preference of the intermediate 1,5-biradicals. 

Bowry, V. W., Lusztyk, J., Ingold, K. U., Calibration of a New Horologery of Fast Radical Clocks Ring opening Rates for Ring Alkyl substituted and a Alkyl substituted Cyclopropylcarbinyl Radicals and for the Bicyclo[2.1.0]pent 2 yl Radical, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991,113, 5687 5698. 

V. W. Dowry, J. Lusztyk, and K. U. Ingold. Calibration of a new horologery of fast radical "clocks". Ring-opening rates for ring- and a-alkyl-substituted cyclopropylcarbinyl radicals and for the bicyclo[2.1.0]pent-2-yl radical. /. Am. Chem. Soc., 113 5687 (1991). 

---