Radical Kinetics and Clocks

An overview of radical kinetics is presented, with an emphasis on competition kinetic methods that can be achieved in most laboratories without special equipment. Methods for indirect studies are described. Collections of various radical clocks that can be used in competition kinetic studies and their rate constants are presented. Kinetic tables for some of the more common radical reactions include those for hydrogen atom transfers from group 14 and group 16 hydrides to radicals, additions of radicals to substituted alkenes and other unsaturated systems, and fragmentations of substituted carbon radicals. Keywords: radical clock; competition kinetics; rate constants; hydrogen atom abstraction; addition; fragmentation; cyclization