Hydrogen atom abstraction

Hydrogen atom abstraction or hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) in chemistry is any chemical reaction in which a hydrogen free radical is abstracted from a substrate according to the general equation:

X. + H-Y -> X-H + Y.

Examples of HAT reactions are oxidative reactions in general, hydrocarbon combustion and reactions involving cytochrome P450 containing an iron(V)-oxo unit. The abstractor is usually a radical species itself. An example of an closed-shell abstractor is chromyl chloride. HAT can take place through proton-coupled electron transfer. [1]


References

  1. ↑ Lai, W., Li, C., Chen, H. and Shaik, S. (2012), Hydrogen-Abstraction Reactivity Patterns from A to Y: The Valence Bond Way. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 51: 5556–5578. doi:10.1002/anie.201108398