Which of the following haloalkanes is most reactive towards nucleophilic substit
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following haloalkanes is most reactive towards nucleophilic substitution?
1-bromopropane
2-bromopropane
3-bromopropane
Bromobenzene
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following haloalkanes is most reactive towards nucleophilic substitution?
Step 1: Understand what haloalkanes are. Haloalkanes are organic compounds that contain carbon, hydrogen, and halogen atoms (like bromine).
Step 2: Know what nucleophilic substitution means. It is a reaction where a nucleophile (a species that donates an electron pair) replaces a halogen in a haloalkane.
Step 3: Identify the types of haloalkanes. There are primary, secondary, and tertiary haloalkanes based on the carbon atom that is attached to the halogen.
Step 4: Learn about carbocation stability. Tertiary carbocations (where the carbon is attached to three other carbon atoms) are more stable than secondary or primary carbocations.
Step 5: Recognize that more stable carbocations lead to faster reactions in nucleophilic substitution. This means that haloalkanes that can form stable tertiary carbocations will be more reactive.
Step 6: Compare the haloalkanes given in the question. If 3-bromopropane is a tertiary haloalkane, it will be more reactive than primary or secondary haloalkanes.
Step 7: Conclude that 3-bromopropane is the most reactive towards nucleophilic substitution because it forms a stable tertiary carbocation during the reaction.
