Kinetics of Cyclopropyl Radical Reactions. 2. Studies on the Inversion of Cyclopropyl and 1-Methylcyclopropyl Radicals and on the Kinetics of Some Addition and Abstraction Reactions of 1-Methylcyclopropyl and 1-Methoxycyclopropyl Radicals

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00269a034

Laser flash photolytic studies have shown that the 1-methylcyclopropyl radical has a reactivity similar to that of the cyclopropyl radical toward styrene, β-methylstyrene, 1,4-cyclohexadiene, CCl3Br, and n-Bu3SnH but that it is more reactive toward CCl4.Chemical trapping with CCl3Br of these two radicals stereospecifically labeled with deuterium yields rate constants for their inversion at 71 deg C of (2.1 +/- 0.8) * 10¹¹ s^-1 for c-C3H4^.CH3 and ca. 10¹² s^-1 for c-C3H5^..EPR spectra of 13C-labeled radicals confirm that they are nonplanar: a^13Cα = 98 and 95.9 G for c-C3H4^.CH3 and c-C3H5^., respectively.The similar magnitudes of these splittings implies that there is also a similar degree of deviation from planarity.The barrier to inversion is probably ca. 3 kcal/mol for both radicals but the c-C3H5^. inverts more rapidly possibly because of hydrogen tunneling. 1-Methoxycyclopropyl is less reactive toward styrene and 1,4-cyclohexadiene than the other two radicals.The EPR spectrum of this radical could not be obtained.