Radical addition reactions of fluorinated species part 6. Regioselectivity of the addition of nucleophilic radicals to halogenopropenes and evidence for a steric effect of the chlorine substituent

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0022-1139(97)00083-3

Nucleophilic radicals derived from alkanols and cyclic ethers (oxolane, 1,3-dioxolane, 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane) were employed to test the regioselectivity of addition to 3-chloro-1,1,2,3,3-pentafluoropropene (1), 1,3-dichloro-1,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (2), 1,1,3-trichloro-2,3,3-trifluoropropene (3) and 1,3-dichlord-2,3,3-trifluoropropene (4). The regioselectivity was strongly dependent on the number of chlorine atoms at the terminal position and on the character of the additive. Thus the two chlorine atoms in 3 completely reversed the regioselectivity to an anti-Kharasch mode. The relative reaction rates were dramatically decreased with increasing number of terminal chlorine atoms in olefins 1-3. The allylic chlorine atom in 1 appeared to mimic a longer perfluoroalkyl chain. Experimental results were compared with the shapes of frontier orbitals and electron densities calculated using PM3 and ab initio (3-12G and 6-311 + G**) methods. The transformations of the adducts to chlorofluoroalkyl methacrylates and fluorinated pentane-1,2-diol are reported.