(+)-1-Bromo-2-methylbutane undergoes autoxidation at 1 atm of oxygen and 30 °C to give, after reduction with triphenylphosphine, 1-bromo-2-methyl-2-butanol with a (+) to (−) enantiomer ratio of 1.9 ± 0.2. The optically active 1-bromo-2-methyl-2-butyl radical is, therefore, partially trapped by oxygen at this pressure before it has time to completely racemize. The half-life for racemization of the preferred conformation is approximately 2 × 10−8s−1at 30 °C. At 100 atm of oxygen the yield of (+)-CH3CH2COH(CH3)CH2Br is >90% and the reaction appears to proceed with retention of configuration. A small percentage of (−)-1-bromo-2-methyl-2-butanol is, however, still produced, presumably by inversion of configuration.