Cleaving Olefins through Hydrodealkenylation

[@K0wface]

So cool hearing the names of professors I read about over the years! I also really like the discussion aspect of these videos

[@samkrerowicz4269]

Can someone explain to me why in the 2nd to last step of the proposed mechanism, the leaving group is the cyclohexyl radical rather than the methoxy radical? Aren't alkoxy radical much more thermodynamically stable than alkyl radicals, which would make the methoxy radical + methyl cyclohexyl ketone the thermodynamic products of that step rather than the cyclohexyl radical + methyl acetate products shown? Or is this a kinetic preference and it is easier to break the C-C bond rather than the C-O bond despite the thermodynamics of the products?