Question

What is free radical halogenation used for in industry?

Answer 1

Some important industrial uses of free radical halogenation include direct chlorination and allylic chlorination.

Explanation:

Direct Chlorination

Direct chlorination is used for the industrial synthesis of dichloromethane (`"CH"_2"Cl"_2`), chloroform (`"CHCl"_3`), carbon tetrachloride (`"CCl"_4`).

Allylic Chlorination

At temperatures above 500 °C, propene reacts with chlorine in a free radical reaction to form allyl chloride (3-chloropropene), which is a precursor in the preparation of epoxy resins.

`"CH"_2"=CH-CH"_3 + "Cl"_2 stackrel("500 – 600 °C")(→) "CH"_2"=CH-CH"_2"Cl"`

Many other industrial chlorocarbons are formed as by-products of the above reactions.