In the presence of peroxides, carboxylic acids (or esters) react with 1 -alkenes to yield more complicated acids. For example:

First, identify the reactants in our given example, which are a carboxylic acid (or ester) and a 1-alkene. In the presence of peroxides, these reactants will undergo a reaction to form more complex acids.

Peroxides act as radical initiators in this reaction. They undergo homolytic cleavage to generate free radicals, which are highly reactive species that have unpaired electrons. These radicals can react with the reactants, initiating the reaction mechanism.

The mechanism of the reaction between carboxylic acids (or esters) and 1-alkenes can be broken down into three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. - Initiation: Peroxides (e.g., R-O-O-R') undergo homolytic cleavage, producing two alkoxy radicals (R-O· and R'·). These radicals then abstract a hydrogen atom from the 1-alkene, generating a new alkyl radical. \[ R-O-O-R' \rightarrow 2 R-O· \] \[ R-O· + H-1-alkene \rightarrow R-OH + ·1-alkene \] - Propagation: The alkyl radical can then react with carboxylic acid (or ester) through addition, creating a new radical species. \[ ·1-alkene + R-C(=O)-OH \rightarrow R-C(=O)-O-1-alkene· \] - Termination: Radical species combine with each other to form the final product, which is a more complex acid. \[ R-C(=O)-O-1-alkene· + R'· \rightarrow R-C(=O)-O-1-alkene-R' \]

Using the mechanism outlined above, we can now predict the product of the reaction. In our example, the carboxylic acid (or ester) reacts with the 1-alkene in the presence of peroxides to yield a more complicated acid. The resulting product will have the form R-C(=O)-O-1-alkene-R', where R and R' are the substituents derived from the peroxides.