Which of the following reactions is an example of an SN1 mechanism?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following reactions is an example of an SN1 mechanism?
Tertiary alkyl halide with water
Primary alkyl halide with NaOH
Secondary alkyl halide with KCN
Tertiary alkyl halide with NaOEt
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following reactions is an example of an SN1 mechanism?
Step 1: Understand what an SN1 mechanism is. It is a type of nucleophilic substitution reaction that involves two main steps.
Step 2: Identify the first step of the SN1 mechanism, which is the formation of a carbocation. This happens when the leaving group (like a halide) departs from the alkyl halide.
Step 3: Recognize that tertiary alkyl halides are more likely to form stable carbocations because they have three alkyl groups that can stabilize the positive charge.
Step 4: In the second step of the SN1 mechanism, a nucleophile (like water) attacks the carbocation to form the final product.
Step 5: Conclude that the reaction of a tertiary alkyl halide with water is an example of an SN1 mechanism because it involves the formation of a stable carbocation.
