One of the most reactive molecules involving substitution reactions are alkyl halides.\u00a0 However, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind to determine if the SN2 mechanism describes your\u00a0reaction. First, let\u2019s look at a simple SN2 reaction; methyl chloride and NaOH to form methanol and NaCl.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s break down the reaction mechanism into the basic elements.\u00a0 An SN2 reaction gives you 3 pieces of information, first the \u2018S\u2019<\/strong> indicating \u2018substitution\u2019, the \u2018N\u2019<\/strong> denoting the reaction involves a nucleophile and \u20182\u2019<\/strong> describing the process as bimolecular \u2013 meaning both the substrate and the nucleophile determine the rate of the reaction.\u00a0 The hydroxide will attack the carbon center and form a new bond with carbon (which makes it the nucleophile) and the chlorine atom will leave the carbon center with the electrons from the C-Cl bond (which makes it the leaving group).<\/p>\n Inductive effects of leaving groups:<\/u><\/em> Chloride is a good leaving group because of the inductive effects<\/strong> (or electron withdrawing potential) of the halogen atom.\u00a0 This is the characteristic of good leaving groups<\/strong>.\u00a0 The electronegativity of chlorine makes the carbon center slightly electrophilic, meaning it has a partial positive charge, which is strongly attracted to electron-rich nucleophiles.<\/p>\n Strong bases as a nucleophile<\/u><\/em>: In order to form a new bond with carbon, a good nucleophile<\/strong> has to be electron rich.\u00a0 The strong basic properties of NaOH make the charge on oxygen negative, and thus a good nucleophile.\u00a0 Likewise, the poor basic properties of Cl anion make it an excellent leaving group.\u00a0 Below is a chart to help illustrate the contrasting properties of nucleophiles and leaving groups.<\/p>\n![\"sn2](\"http:\/\/www.studyorgo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/sn2-figure-1.jpg\")
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