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Shouldn't Sn2 be bimolecular nucleophilic substitution second order?
yes. this SN2 reaction must be of bimolecular nucleophiclic substituion second order reaction.
Incorrect, as mentioned below, although there are 2 reactants they both arent nececerily both first order, so the overall reaction order could be greater or less than 2.
Obikirk (
talk)
21:12, 12 November 2009 (UTC)reply
Sn2 not necessarily second order
Sn2 has a bimolcular rate determining step, however this does not mean that Sn2 is always second order. For example the hydrolysis of TBC has Sn2 mechanism but is actually first order- water is of zero order and TBC is of first order so overall, reaction is first order.
Chartice22:15, 12 May 2007 (UTC)reply
Sn2'
Does someone want to be nice and write a section on Sn2' reactions so that I don't have to?
Heck, it only discusses sterics of the nucleophile, not the substrate at the leaving-group site (though it is mentioned in the "Reaction mechanism" section). But then the mechanism section doesn't include an electron-flow ("arrow-pushing") mechanism! Perhaps we could take the reactants of the "Reaction mechanism" diagram (i.e., aligned properly for the reaction) and use "R" groups on the nucleophile and on the electrophilic substrate. Then could simply explain "if R on the nucleophile or any of the R on the substrate near the leaving group are large, they prevent the two components from getting close enough to react efficiently."
DMacks (
talk)
19:01, 26 November 2009 (UTC)reply
I was refering to the ball&stick model example in the article, depicting the the SN2 reaction of
dimethyl sulfide, CH3SH with
methanethiol, CH3I (the model at the bottom).