[SheffieldWednesday4ever]

Hi everybody,

I know that in a tolouene molecule, that the Hydrogen attached to the functional group, methyl, comes off, and a single electron is left on the carbon group of methyl forming a radical. Does resonance from the double bond help stabilize the structure? (one of the electrons from the double bond in the benzene flows to help form a double bond?) or does hyperconjugation of neighboring C-H orbitals help stabilize it. Or perhaps both.

This would really help clarify many problems i'm dealing with.

Thanks for reading

[KritikalMass]

It's not both so it is one or the other. Bottom of the page should answer your question.

http://www.cem.msu.edu/~reusch/VirtualText/funcrx1.htm

[KritikalMass]

Here is another example of the difference between the two. Hope it helps!

http://orgo.curvedarrow.com/punbb/viewtopic.php?pid=337#p337