organic chem definitons

Question 1

nucleophile

Answer 1

a nucleophile is a chemical species that has the tendency to donate a pair of electrons to an electrophile to form a chemical bond

Question 2

electrophile

Answer 2

is a chemical species that has the tendency to bond to nucleophiles by accepting an electron pair

Question 3

hydrogenation

Answer 3

is the process whereby hydrogen atoms bind to the double bond of a compound facilitating its conversion to a single bond, in the presence of a catalyst. like palladium platinum nickel etc.

Question 4

carbocation

Answer 4

is defined as an ion with a positively charged carbon atom that participates in various reactions such as substitution, addition and decomposition

Question 5

key differences between Sn1 reactions and Sn2 reactions

Answer 5

Sn1 are a two step mechanism including the creation of a carbocation intermediate. Sn2 reactions are a one step mechanism involving the direct attack of the nucleophile on the substrate.

Question 6

steps in which Sn1 reactions occur

Answer 6

1.formation of the carbocation: the leaving group departs, forming a carbocation intermediate.

2.nucleophilic attack: the nucleophile attacks the carbocation to form the final product

3.they are slow and depend on the carbocation step.

4. examples are tertiary haloalkanes

Question 7

steps involved in Sn2 reactions

Answer 7

1. occurs in a single step where the nucleophile attacks the substrate and the leaving group departs simultaneously
2. This results in a transition state where the substrate is partially bonded to both the nucleophile and the leaving group.
3. example would be primary haloalkanes