Free-radical chlorination of hexane gives very poor yields of 1-chlorohexane, while cyclohexane can be converted to chlorocyclohexane in good yield. (a) How do you account for this difference? (b) What ratio of reactants (cyclohexane and chlorine) would you use for the synthesis of chlorocyclohexane?
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Textbook Solutions for Organic Chemistry
Question
Problem 42SP
For each alkane,
1. Draw all the possible monochlorinated derivatives.
2. Determine whether free-radical chlorination would be a good way to make any of these monochlorinated derivatives. (Will the reaction give mostly one major product?)
3. Which monobrominated derivatives could you form in good yield by free-radical bromination?
(a) cyclopentane
(b) methylcyclopentane
(c) 2-methylpentane
(d) 2,2,3,3-tetramethylbutane
Solution
Solution 42SP
Step 1
Halogenation is a substitution, where a halogen atom replaces a hydrogen atom.
(a)
1. In cyclopentane, all ten hydrogen atoms are identical, and it does not matter which hydrogen is replaced. The possible product of chlorination of cyclopentane is only one as there is one secondary hydrogen atoms in this compound. So, the possible product is as follows:
2. For this compound, chlorination would work as it forms only one product.
3. The bond-dissociation enthalpies of H-Cl (431 kJ) and H-Br (368 kJ), the HBr bond is weaker, and abstraction of a hydrogen atom by Br radical is edothermic. So bromination is much slower than chlorination. Hence, bromination on secondary carbon would not be anticipated to be a high-yielding process.
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