What free radical is most is likely to be formed from bromination?
In bromination reactions, the most likely free radical to be formed is the bromine radical, often denoted as Br•
In bromination reactions, the most likely free radical to be formed is the bromine radical, often denoted as Br•. Bromination is a type of halogenation reaction whereby a bromine atom replaces a hydrogen atom in an organic molecule.
The bromination reaction involves a chain reaction mechanism, which consists of three main steps: initiation, propagation, and termination.
1. Initiation: In the presence of light or heat, a small amount of bromine (Br2) is converted into bromine radicals (Br•) by homolytic cleavage. The process can be represented as:
Br2 → 2 Br•
2. Propagation: Once formed, the bromine radicals (Br•) react with the organic substrate, typically an alkane or an alkene, to produce a new radical intermediate. This reaction occurs in two steps:
a. The bromine radical (Br•) abstracts a hydrogen atom from the substrate, forming a hydrogen bromide (HBr) molecule and an alkyl radical (R•).
R-H + Br• → R• + HBr
b. The alkyl radical (R•) then reacts with another bromine molecule (Br2), regenerating the bromine radical (Br•) and forming the bromoalkane product.
R• + Br2 → R-Br + Br•
3. Termination: In the termination step, the radical chain reaction is halted by the combination of two radicals, leading to the formation of a stable compound. Various termination reactions are possible, such as:
2 Br• → Br2
Br• + R• → R-Br
Overall, the bromination reaction involves the formation and utilization of the bromine radical (Br•) as the primary free radical species.
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