A hydrohalogenation reaction is the
electrophilic addition of
hydrogen halides like
hydrogen chloride
The Chemical compound, compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hyd ...
or
hydrogen bromide
Hydrogen bromide is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a hydrogen halide consisting of hydrogen and bromine. A colorless gas, it dissolves in water, forming hydrobromic acid, which is saturated at 68.85% HBr by weight at room temper ...
to
alkene
In organic chemistry, an alkene, or olefin, is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as Alpha-olefin, α-olefins.
The Internationa ...
s to yield the corresponding
haloalkane
The haloalkanes (also known as halogenoalkanes or alkyl halides) are alkanes containing one or more halogen substituents of hydrogen atom. They are a subset of the general class of halocarbons, although the distinction is not often made. Haloalka ...
s.
:

If the two carbon atoms at the double bond are linked to a different number of hydrogen atoms, the halogen is found preferentially at the carbon with fewer hydrogen substituents, an observation known as
Markovnikov's rule
In organic chemistry, Markovnikov's rule or Markownikoff's rule describes the outcome of some addition reactions. The rule was formulated by Russian chemist Vladimir Markovnikov in 1870.
Explanation
The rule states that with the addition of a ...
. This is due to the abstraction of a hydrogen atom by the
alkene
In organic chemistry, an alkene, or olefin, is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as Alpha-olefin, α-olefins.
The Internationa ...
from the hydrogen halide (HX) to form the most stable
carbocation
Carbocation is a general term for ions with a positively charged carbon atom. In the present-day definition given by the IUPAC, a carbocation is any even-electron cation with significant partial positive charge on a carbon atom. They are further ...
(relative stability: 3°>2°>1°>methyl), as well as generating a halogen
anion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...
.
A simple example of a hydrochlorination is that of
indene with
hydrogen chloride
The Chemical compound, compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hyd ...
gas (no solvent):
:

Alkynes also undergo hydrohalogenation reactions. Depending on the exact substrate, alkyne hydrohalogenation can proceed though a concerted protonation/nucleophilic attack (Ad
E3) or stepwise by first protonating the alkyne to form a
vinyl cation, followed by attack of HX/X
− to give the product (Ad
E2) (''see''
electrophile
In chemistry, an electrophile is a chemical species that forms bonds with nucleophiles by accepting an electron pair. Because electrophiles accept electrons, they are Lewis acids. Most electrophiles are positively Electric charge, charged, have an ...
''for arrow pushing''). As in the case of alkenes, the regioselectivity is determined by the relative ability of the carbon atoms to stabilize positive charge (either a partial charge in the case of a concerted transition state or a full formal charge for a discrete vinyl cation). Depending on reaction conditions, the main product could be this initially formed
alkenyl halide, or the product of twice hydrohalogenation to form a dihaloalkane. In most cases, the main regioisomer formed is the ''gem''-dihaloalkane. This regioselectivity is rationalized by the resonance stabilization of a neighboring carbocation by a lone pair on the initially installed halogen. Depending on relative rates of the two steps, it may be difficult to stop at the first stage, and often, mixtures of the mono and bis hydrohalogenation products are obtained.
Anti-Markovnikov addition
In the presence of
peroxide
In chemistry, peroxides are a group of Chemical compound, compounds with the structure , where the R's represent a radical (a portion of a complete molecule; not necessarily a free radical) and O's are single oxygen atoms. Oxygen atoms are joined ...
s, HBr adds to a given
alkene
In organic chemistry, an alkene, or olefin, is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as Alpha-olefin, α-olefins.
The Internationa ...
in an anti-Markovnikov addition fashion. Regiochemistry follows from the reaction mechanism, which exhibits halogen attack on the least-hindered unsaturated carbon. The mechanism for this
chain reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.
Chain reactions are one way that sys ...
resembles
free radical halogenation, in which the peroxide promotes formation of the
bromine
Bromine is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between th ...
radical. However, this process is restricted to addition of HBr. Of the other
hydrogen halides (HF, HCl, and HI), only HCl reacts similarly, and the process is too slow for synthetic use. (With HF and HI, the energy released in the halogen-carbon addition does not suffice to cleave another hydrogen-halogen bond. Consequently the chain cannot propagate.)
The resulting 1-bromoalkanes are versatile
alkylating agent Alkylation is a chemical reaction that entails transfer of an alkyl group. The alkyl group may be transferred as an alkyl carbocation, a free radical, a carbanion, or a carbene (or their equivalents). Alkylating agents are reagents for effecting ...
s. By reaction with
dimethyl amine, they are precursors to
fatty tertiary amines. By reaction with tertiary amines, long-chain alkyl bromides such as 1-bromododecane, give
quaternary ammonium salts, which are used as
phase transfer catalysts.
With
Michael acceptors the addition is also anti-Markovnikov because now a nucleophilic X
− reacts in a
nucleophilic conjugate addition for example in the reaction of HCl with
acrolein.
Scope
Recent research has found that adding
silica gel
Silica gel is an amorphous and porosity, porous form of silicon dioxide (silica), consisting of an irregular three-dimensional framework of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with nanometer-scale voids and pores. The voids may contain wate ...
or
alumina
Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula . It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly ...
to H-Cl (or H-Br) in
dichloromethane increases the rate of reaction making it an easy one to carry out.{{Citation needed, date=February 2009
References
Addition reactions
de:Elektrophile Addition