The reactivity of oxygen nucleophiles with aryl radicals in the SRN1 mechanism

Abstract The photostimulated reaction of 2-naphthoxide ions 1 with o-dihalobenzenes in liquid ammonia gives the halosubstituted product 4 and the cyclized substituted product 5. This is the first report about the coupling of an aromatic σ radical with an oxygen functionality in the chain propagation cycle of the SRN1 mechanism.