What is the mechanism of the reaction between an alkyl halide and a nucleophile

What is the mechanism of the reaction between an alkyl halide and a nucleophile in a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2)?

What is the mechanism of the reaction between an alkyl halide and a nucleophile in a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2)?

Step 1: Identify the alkyl halide, which has a carbon atom bonded to a halogen (the leaving group).
Step 2: Identify the nucleophile, which is a species that has a lone pair of electrons and can donate them to form a bond.
Step 3: The nucleophile approaches the carbon atom of the alkyl halide from the side opposite to the halogen (the leaving group).
Step 4: As the nucleophile gets closer, it begins to form a bond with the carbon atom, while the bond between the carbon and the halogen starts to break.
Step 5: The nucleophile fully bonds to the carbon atom, and the halogen leaves as a separate ion (the leaving group).
Step 6: This process results in the inversion of configuration at the carbon atom, meaning the spatial arrangement of the groups around the carbon changes.

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