ABSTRACT
The hydroxyl group of alcohol weakens the a-CH bond. Therefore, free radicals attack preferentially the a-CH bonds of the secondary and primary alcohols. The values of bond dissociation energy (BDE) of CH bonds in alcohols are presented in Table 7.1. The BDE values of CH bonds of the parent hydrocarbons are also presented. It is seen from comparison that the hydroxyl group weakens BDE of the CH bond by 23.4 kJ mol1 for aliphatic alcohols and by 8.0 kJ mol1 for allyl and benzyl alcohols.
