--- title: "Hunsdiecker reaction Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/hunsdiecker-reaction/ description: "Hunsdiecker reaction template: Silver propanoate and bromine form an acyl hypobromite; its O–Br bond breaks homolytically, the carboxyl radical loses CO₂ and…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/) › Hunsdiecker reaction [Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/)Premium # Hunsdiecker reaction template ![Hunsdiecker reaction template: Silver propanoate and bromine form an acyl hypobromite; its O–Br bond breaks homolytically, the carboxyl radical loses CO₂ and the ethyl radical takes Br in a chain to give bromoethane.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/hunsdiecker-reaction.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). Silver propanoate and bromine form an acyl hypobromite; its O–Br bond breaks homolytically, the carboxyl radical loses CO₂ and the ethyl radical takes Br in a chain to give bromoethane. ## Mechanism step by step A silver carboxylate and Br₂ give an alkyl bromide with one carbon fewer 1. **Acyl hypobromite** – Carboxylate O attacks Br₂; Ag⁺ pulls off bromide as AgBr 2. **Initiation** – The weak O–Br bond breaks evenly on heating 3. **Decarboxylation** – The carboxyl radical loses CO₂: an ethyl radical 4. **Propagation** – The ethyl radical takes Br from the hypobromite, regenerating the carboxyl radical ## Key points - The product has one carbon fewer than the acid: a decarboxylative bromination. - Fish-hook arrows move one electron each; propagation keeps the number of radicals. - The silver salt must be dry; AgBr precipitating drives the first step. - Yield order of the alkyl group: 1° > 2° > 3°. Cl₂ also works; I₂ gives esters (Simonini). Drawn with 70 atoms, 15 arrows, 9 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Kürti & Czakó, Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis, Elsevier 2005](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780124297852) Textbook - [Smith, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., Wiley 2020](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119371809) Textbook ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Hunsdiecker reaction template free? You can preview the Hunsdiecker reaction template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Hunsdiecker reaction template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Which name reactions are included? 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