High school11 min

Reaction mechanisms: curved arrows, SN2 and SN1

Where a curved arrow starts and where it lands, the difference between an intermediate and a transition state, and what sets SN2 apart from SN1.

The essentials

1

Mechanism and elementary step

The overall equation says what forms; the mechanism says how: a sequence of elementary steps, each rearranging only a few bonds at a time. Species formed and then consumed along the way do not appear in the overall equation.
2

Nucleophile and electrophile

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3

The curved arrow

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4

Intermediate and transition state

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5

SN2 and SN1

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