Help with Radical Reactions - Organic Chemistry

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Question

Which reagent must be used with hydrobromic acid to convert 1-hexene to 1-bromohexane?

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Answer

The double bond in 1-hexene is across carbons one and two. Just adding HBr would put the bromine on carbon 2 because the bromine is more stable on the more highly subtituted carbon. If you want to put the bromine on the less substituted carbon (generating 1-bromohexane), you must carry out the reaction in the presence of peroxides. The mechanism involves a free radical on the secondary carbon and a bromine addition on the primary carbon.

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