C. Bulliard et al., INTRAMOLECULAR COMPETITION OF PHENYLIC AND BENZYLIC CX BOND BREAKING IN DISSOCIATIVE ELECTRON-ATTACHMENT TO DIHALOTOLUENES, Journal of physical chemistry, 98(43), 1994, pp. 11040-11045
Relative yields of Cl- and Br- (X(-)) from dissociative electron attac
hment to o-, m-, and p-ClC6H4CH2Br and BrC6H4CH2Cl have been measured
as a function of the incident electron energy in the gas phase. A Cl-
or Br- signal was observed for all compounds at incident electron ener
gies of 0-1 eV, corresponding to electron attachment to pi orbitals f
ollowed by dissociation. Bond breaking is highly selective; the yield
of the benzylic X(-) is always substantially higher than the yield of
the phenylic X(-) at incident energies below 1 eV. The selectivity is
explained by the weaker benzylic CX bond and by symmetry restrictions
in pi/sigma* orbital coupling, making the dissociative intramolecular
electron transfer from the benzene pi MO into the benzylic CX bond f
aster than into the phenylic CX bond. A second (weaker) X(-) band is o
bserved in some compounds at incident electron energies around 4.5 eV.
The former selectivity of bond breaking is reversed at this incident
energy, indicating a different electronic symmetry of the incipient ra
dical anion state.