The hydrolysis of 2-bromo-2-methylpropane

By , and 2012-03-01T00:00:00

A student observing a science experiment

A one hour experiment to determine the order of the reaction and show that it follows an SN1 mechanism

When teaching halogenoalkanes, it is usually stated that primary halides hydrolyse by the SN2 mechanism, tertiary halides by the SN1 mechanism and secondary halides by a mixture of both. Students are often confused because the SN1 reaction takes place intwo steps while the SN2 mechanism has just one step. 

In this article we will explore how to teach students about halogenoalkanes and provide examples of three experiments that could be used to teach this subject.

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