Nucleophilic Substitution and Elimination Reactions

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to Nucleophilic Substitution and Elimination Reactions, including key terms and their definitions necessary for understanding the concepts in organic chemistry.

Nucleophilic Substitution

A reaction where a nucleophile replaces a leaving group in a substrate.

Elimination Reaction

A reaction where elements of the starting material are removed, forming a double bond.

Alkyl Halides

Compounds where a halogen is attached to an sp3 hybridized carbon atom.

Leaving Group

An atom or group that can depart with an electron pair in a substitution or elimination reaction.

Good Leaving Group

A leaving group that can readily break away from the substrate, typically the conjugate base of a strong acid.

Stereospecific Reaction

A reaction in which a particular starting material yields a specific stereoisomer as a product.

E2 Elimination

A bimolecular elimination reaction that occurs in a concerted mechanism.

Zaitsev Product

The more substituted alkene formed in an elimination reaction.

Hofmann Product

The less substituted alkene that is formed in an elimination reaction, typically favored by bulky bases.

Anti-periplanar

A conformation where the leaving group and the β-hydrogen are positioned 180 degrees apart.

SN2 Reaction

A substitution reaction where the bond to the nucleophile and the leaving group breaks simultaneously in a concerted mechanism.

Regioselective

A reaction that yields a preferred product over others when multiple constitutional isomers are possible.

Steric Hindrance

A phenomenon where the spatial arrangement of atoms affects the reactivity and rates of reactions.

Transition State

An unstable arrangement of atoms found at the peak of the energy barrier during a reaction.

Stereoselective Reaction

A reaction that leads to the preferential formation of one stereoisomer over another.