Title: substitution chain transfer
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - substitution chain transfer
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.08972
Status: current

Definition
Chain-transfer process that proceeds by a one-step substitution reaction.

Note
In radical polymerization the process is called homolytic substitution chain transfer and reaction is by a \(\rm{S}_{\rm{H}}2\) mechanism. An example of a chain-transfer agent that reacts by substitution chain transfer is a thiol.

Example
A chain-transfer agent that reacts by substitution chain transfer is a thiol.

Related Term
- chain-transfer agent: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/08947

Source
- PAC, 2022, 94, 1093. 'Terminology for chain polymerization (IUPAC Recommendations 2021)' on page 1126 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2020-1211)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/08972/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/08972/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/08972/xml

Citation: Citation: 'substitution chain transfer' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.08972
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Accessed: 2026-08-05T19:30:37+00:00