Bond dissociation energies and radical heats of formation in CH3Cl,CH2Cl2, CH3Br,CH2Br2, CH2FCl,and CHFCl2

An analysis of thermochemical and kinetic data on the bromination of the halomethanes CH_4–nX_n (X = F, Cl, Br; n = 1–3), the two chlorofluoromethanes, CH₂FCl and CHFCl₂, and CH₄, shows that the recently reported heats of formation of the radicals CH₂Cl, CHCl₂, CHBr₂, and CFCl₂, and the C? H bond dissociation energies in the matching halomethanes are not compatible with the activation energies for the corresponding reverse reactions. From the observed trends in CH₄ and the other halomethanes, the following revised ΔH°_f,298 (R) values have been derived: ΔH°_f(CH₂Cl) = 29.1 ± 1.0, ΔH°_f(CHCl₂) = 23.5 ± 1.2, ΔH_f(CH₂Br) = 40.4 ± 1.0, ΔH°_f(CHBr₂) = 45.0 ± 2.2, and ΔH°_f(CFCl₂) = ?21.3 ± 2.4 kcal mol^?1. The previously unavailable radical heat of formation, ΔH°_f(CHFCl) = ?14.5 ± 2.4 kcal mol^?1 has also been deduced. These values are used with the heats of formation of the parent compounds from the literature to evaluate C? H and C? X bond dissociation energies in CH₃Cl, CH₂Cl₂, CH₃Br, CH₂Br₂, CH₂FCl, and CHFCl₂.