Organic Chemistry Playlist Online Video Tutorial Course

SN2 Reactions

SN2 Reactions: This video provides an overview of what you need to know about SN2 reactions to perform well on your test. This video provides the mechanism of an SN2 reaction and it shows you how to predict the major products for such a reaction. SN2 stands for 2nd order nucleophilic substitution.

Topics Include the following:
1. Inversion of stereochemistry – R turns into S and vice versa
2. Concerted Reaction Mechanism – Bond breaking and bond formation occur simultaneously in an SN2 reaction.
3. Substrate Reactivity & Steric Factors-Methyl and primary substrates work very for SN2 reactions. Tertiary substrates are too sterically hindered.
4. How To Rank Alkyl Halides / Substrates In Order of Increasing Reactivity toward an SN2 Reaction
5. Leaving Group Stability: I-, Br-, Cl-, F-
6. How to tell which nucleophile is stronger both in an protic solvent and in aprotic solvent
7. The effect of polar protic solvents like H2O, CH3OH, and EtOH on the nucleophile
8. The effect of polar aprotic solvents like acetone & crown ethers
9. Rate law of an SN2 Reaction – The effect of the concentration of the substrate and nucleophile on the rate of an SN2 reaction
10. Vinyl, allylic, and benzyl halides
11. Cyclohexane Chair Conformation for SN2 Reactions – Axial & Equatorial Positions
12. Fischer Projections & SN2 Reactions
13. How To Find The Reagent for an SN2 reaction given the reactant and product
14. Crown ethers, 12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, 18-crown-6 for Li+, Na+, and K+ – SN2 reactions