Chlorination Of Alkanes Flashcards
(12 cards)
What type of reaction forms a haloalkane.
Substitution reactions
What type of substitution do alkanes undergo to form haloalkanes
They undergo free radical substitution
What happens during the free radical substitution of an alkane
A hydrogen atom gets substituted by a halogen atom
Why does the free radical substitution require sunlight?
The alkanes are very unreactive so ultraviolet light is needed
Describe the initiation step of free radical substitution
The halogen bond (Cl-Cl or Br-Br) is broken by UV energy to form two free radicals. Each atom takes one electron from the covalent bond
What is a free radical
A free radical is an atom or molecule with an unpaired electron
What happens in the propagation step
The free radicals create further radicals in a chain reaction
What is termination
When the reaction is terminated when two radicals collide with each other in a termination step
Why type of reaction forms the two free radicals
Homolytic fission
What do the free radicals do during propagation
Free radicals are very reactive and attack the unreactive alkanes. A C-H bond breaks homolytically then an alkyl free radical is produced
How does the alkyl help regenerate the chlorine/bromine free radical
The alkyl can attack another Cl or Br to form a haloalkane
