Addition of Mineral Acid To An Alkene
To illustrate, consider the alkoxy radical-catalyzed, anti-Markovnikov reaction of hydrogen bromide to an alkene. In this reaction, a catalytic amount of organic peroxide is needed to abstract the acidic proton from HBr and generate the bromine radical, however a full molar equivalent of alkene and acid is required for completion.
Note that the radical will be on the more substituted carbon. Free radical addition does not occur with the molecules HCl or HI. Both reactions are extremely endothermic and are not chemically favored.
Read more about this topic: Free-radical Addition
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