Which of the following is a strong nucleophile that can participate in an SN2 re
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following is a strong nucleophile that can participate in an SN2 reaction?
Water
Ethanol
Sodium hydroxide
Acetic acid
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following is a strong nucleophile that can participate in an SN2 reaction?
Step 1: Understand what a nucleophile is. A nucleophile is a species that donates an electron pair to form a chemical bond.
Step 2: Know what an SN2 reaction is. SN2 stands for 'Substitution Nucleophilic Bimolecular', which is a type of reaction where a nucleophile attacks an electrophile and replaces a leaving group.
Step 3: Identify strong nucleophiles. Strong nucleophiles are usually negatively charged ions or neutral molecules with lone pairs of electrons that can easily donate electrons.
Step 4: Look at the options given in the question. Check if any of them are strong nucleophiles.
Step 5: Recognize that sodium hydroxide (NaOH) dissociates in water to form hydroxide ions (OH-), which is a strong nucleophile.
Step 6: Conclude that sodium hydroxide can effectively participate in SN2 reactions due to its hydroxide ion.
