Exceptionally high decarboxylation rate of a primary aliphatic acyloxy radical determined by radical product yield analysis and quantitative 1H‐CIDNP spectroscopy

Symmetrical (RCO₂CO₂R; R = XCH₂CH₂) and asymmetrical (RCO₂CO₂R′; R = C₉H₁₉CH₂CH₂, R′ = CH₃ or m‐ClC₆H₄) primary diacyl peroxides were thermally decomposed under different conditions to analyze the decarboxylation rates of the thermally generated acyloxy radicals. Quantitative models of the geminate product yields, and qualitative and quantitative ¹H‐CIDNP spectroscopy were used to obtain the decarboxylation rate estimates. Results reported here suggest that, unlike short chain acyloxy radicals such as propanoyloxyl, long chain acyloxy radicals possess the highest decarboxylation rates of all known acyloxy radicals, estimated at (0.5–1.5) × 10¹² s^?1 between 80 and 140 °C. Given the nature of the dissociative state of acyloxy radicals, such rates appear to be the result of destabilization of the former by the steric bulk of the long chain substituents. Additionally, the rate of this order of magnitude suggests a nearly concerted decarboxylation of primary diacyl peroxides. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.