4B.4 Substitution reactions of alkanes Flashcards
are alkanes reactive
no because it is only made of hydrogen and carbon atoms with single bonds that are not very polar
what is mechanism
a sequence of steps in an overall reaction; each step shows what happens to the electrons involved in bond breaking and bond formation
what are photochemical reactions
they are reactions started by UV light
why does Uv light start a chlorination reaction when Alkanes aren’t affected by light
it starts because chlorines is affected by the light
what is the initiation step
the first step that starts the reactions, it involves the formation of free radicals usually from bond breaking caused by UV radiation
what is the propagation step
it is two steps, that when repeated many times it would convert the starting material into products of the reaction
what is the termination step
the final step that involves the formation of molecules from two free radicals, halting the reaction
why do further substitution reactions happen
when the CH3Cl is formed there is still a chance that more Cl can react and displace an H atom.
why is further substitution reactions not beneficial
because there would be a low yield and a lot of products to separate
