Substitution

These flashcards cover the key vocabulary and concepts related to the reactions of alkyl halides and nucleophilic substitution.

Classification of Organic Reactions

Four general types: Additions, substitutions, elimination, and rearrangements.

Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions

Reactions where a nucleophile replaces a leaving group in an organic molecule.

SN1

Substitution, Nucleophilic, Unimolecular; a reaction mechanism where the rate-determining step involves one molecule.

SN2

Substitution, Nucleophilic, Bimolecular; a reaction mechanism where the rate-determining step involves two molecules.

Rate-determining step

The slowest step in a reaction mechanism that determines the overall reaction rate.

Alkyl halide

Compounds of the form R-X where X is a halogen (F, Cl, Br, I).

Backside attack

A mechanism in SN2 reactions where the nucleophile attacks the carbon atom opposite to the leaving group.

Inverted product

The resulting compound from an SN2 reaction where the stereochemistry is flipped due to backside attack.

Leaving group

An atom or group that is displaced in a nucleophilic substitution reaction.

Nucleophile

A species that donates an electron pair to form a chemical bond in a reaction.