Nucleophilic substitution

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/nucleophilic-substitution

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary mechanisms?SN1 (unimolecular, carbocation intermediate, racemization) and SN2 (bimolecular, concerted, inversion of configuration)
2. How does a leaving group help the reaction?The leaving group can hold onto a negative charge or give up its electrons, making it easy to leave and let the new piece attach.
3. What are SN1 and SN2 reactions?SN1 is a two-step process where the leaving group leaves first, creating a carbocation that the nucleophile then grabs. SN2 is a one-step dance where the nucleophile attacks while the leaving group leaves at the same time.

Nucleophile: An electron-rich species that donates an electron pair to form a new covalent bond.
Electrophile: An electron-deficient species that accepts an electron pair to form a new covalent bond.
Leaving Group: An atom or group that departs from a molecule during a substitution reaction, typically taking a pair of electrons.
Carbocation: A positively charged ion where a carbon atom bears the positive charge and has only three bonds.