CH bond dissociation energies,isolated stretching frequencies,and radical stabilization energy

An earlier correlation between isolated CH stretching frequencies, v, and experimental CH bond dissociation energies, in hydrocarbons, fluorocarbons, and CHO compounds, is updated. A stabilization energy, E, which reflects only the properties of the radical, is defined by the deviation of a point from the above correlation. E values for a variety of radicals are listed and discussed. In H? C? N and H? C? O compounds E is low or negligible, due to the low v found in these compounds. The conventional definition of E_S then represents a serious misnomer, which distracts attention from the probable source of discrepancies between experimental and ab initio values of DH°(C? H), namely, the parent molecules. Stereo electronic effects concerned with the breaking of CH bonds are predicted in a variety of situations. Some experimental determinations of DH°(C? H), viz., in C₂H₄, HCOOH, CH₃CHO, CH₃NH₂, are considered to be probably in error. Schemes for partitioning energies of atomization into ‘standard’ or ‘intrinsic’ bond energies are criticized.