Radical bromination of 2 methylbutane

[xstetsonx]

why would radical bromination of 2 methylbutane gives 1-bromo-3-methylbutane, 2-bromo-3-methylbutane, 3-bromo-3-methylbutane, and 1-bromo-2-methylbutane? i don't see any methyl shife in this reaction. Some one please help

 

[chemisttree]

There is no such thing as 3-bromo-3-methyl butane. That's called 2-methyl-2-methyl butane instead.

Draw the structure of 2-methyl butane (it should have 5 carbons). Now brominate each of the primary carbons. When you brominate the primary carbon furthest from the 2-methyl substitution point you change the naming convention to reflect the position of the bromine instead of the methyl since bromine has a higher naming priority than methyl, ie. the 4-position in the starting material becomes the 1-position in the brominated product.

 

[Blueshift5]

The radical bromination of 2-methylbutane involves the substitution of a hydrogen atom with a bromine atom at various positions on the carbon chain. This results in the formation of multiple products, including 1-bromo-3-methylbutane, 2-bromo-3-methylbutane, 3-bromo-3-methylbutane, and 1-bromo-2-methylbutane. This is because the reaction occurs via a radical mechanism, where the bromine radical can attack the carbon chain at any available position, leading to the formation of different products.

The absence of a methyl shift in this reaction may be due to the relatively low reactivity of the methyl group compared to other functional groups present in the molecule. Additionally, the reaction conditions, such as temperature and concentration, can also affect the selectivity of the reaction. Overall, the formation of these different products is a result of the complex and dynamic nature of radical reactions.