Which of the following statem ents regarding free radical halogenation...
Hydrogen abstraction by halogen radical in the propagation step is exothermic in chlorination but endothermic in bromination. Hence, the option (A) is an incorrect statement.
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Which of the following statem ents regarding free radical halogenation...
Hydrogen abstraction by halogen radical in the propagation step is exothermic in chlorination but endothermic in bromination.
Which of the following statem ents regarding free radical halogenation...
Statement: Hydrogen abstraction by halogen radical in the propagation step is exothermic in both chlorination and bromination.
Explanation:
In free radical halogenation of alkanes, the reaction proceeds through a chain reaction mechanism consisting of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination.
1. Initiation:
- In this step, a small amount of energy (such as heat or light) is supplied to break the halogen molecule (X2) into two halogen radicals (X·).
- This is an endothermic process as energy is required to break the bond.
2. Propagation:
- In the propagation step, the halogen radical (X·) abstracts a hydrogen atom from the alkane molecule (RH), forming a hydrogen halide (HX) and an alkyl radical (R·).
- This step is exothermic because the bond energy of the hydrogen-halogen bond is lower than the bond energy of the hydrogen-carbon bond.
- The formation of a more stable hydrogen halide and the release of energy contribute to the exothermic nature of the propagation step.
3. Termination:
- In the termination step, two radicals (either alkyl radicals or halogen radicals) combine to form a non-radical product, effectively terminating the chain reaction.
- This step is exothermic because the bond energy of the new non-radical product is generally higher than the bond energy of the radicals.
Analysis of the Incorrect Statement:
The incorrect statement is option 'A', which states that hydrogen abstraction by halogen radical in the propagation step is exothermic in both chlorination and bromination.
- In chlorination, the hydrogen abstraction by chlorine radical (Cl·) is indeed exothermic in the propagation step, as explained above.
- However, in bromination, the hydrogen abstraction by bromine radical (Br·) is also exothermic in the propagation step. This is because the bond energy of hydrogen-bromine bond is lower than the bond energy of the hydrogen-carbon bond, leading to the release of energy.
Therefore, the incorrect statement is option 'A' because hydrogen abstraction by halogen radical in the propagation step is exothermic in both chlorination and bromination.
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