yield. The bromine atom-transfer radical addition in benzene was not satisfactory. The addition proceeded smoothly in polar solvents such as DMF and DMSO, protic solvents such as 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol, and aqueous media. Ab initio calculations were conducted to reveal the origin of the solvent effect of water in the addition reaction. The polar effect of solvents