FireLion3 - 15-5-2014 at 19:54
I'm planning to use a pre-prepared Aluminum Amalgam to cause an irreversible electron transfer to an organic compound to initiate a radical chain,
doing so would hypothetically cause the radical chain to never terminate prematurely due to there always being at least a few radical [anions] in
solution with nowhere to terminate, which could then create more radicals.
The problem is some of my test substrates would experience very undesired side reactions in the presence of water. Would a pre-prepared aluminum
amalgam still work in this case? The chain initiation byproducts would be halide ions, typically, with the other portion being a radical.
If this doesn't work, are there any other suggestions for how I can create a sort of irreversible electron transfer to initiate these reactions,
besides Sodium/Potassium Amide in Ammonia, or Sodium Amalgam (which appears to work from the studies I've seen)