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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: Dooper on February 16, 2020, 02:13:49 PM

Title: Isopentane chlorine substitution reaction
Post by: Dooper on February 16, 2020, 02:13:49 PM

Hello everyone,,
I have a question. Lets say we have isopentane and Cl2 in a substitution reaction. How many different Carbon atoms can chlorine atom bond with? All five or can it substitute with a hydrogen that bonded to methyl brach?

It is an easy question maybe but please answer that is really important for me.

Thanks for your consideration..

Title: Re: Isopentane chlorine substitution reaction
Post by: chenbeier on February 16, 2020, 02:35:55 PM

It can bond with all of them and also several times until all hydrogen is exchanged. It will start with the second C.

Title: Re: Isopentane chlorine substitution reaction
Post by: hollytara on February 16, 2020, 03:21:57 PM

For reasons you can look up elsewhere, free radical chlorination is usually "non-selective".  That means there are significant amounts of all possible products.

Isopentane gives 4 different monochlorination products - do you know why there are not 5?

There are many many more dichlorinationand, trichlorination products and so on. 

If you use a sufficient excess of chlorine you can end up with the perchloro product - all H's replaced with Cl.

Title: Re: Isopentane chlorine substitution reaction
Post by: AWK on February 16, 2020, 03:53:41 PM

https://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=102908.0