Question

Identify the major organic product of the following reaction. If two regioisomers are formed in appreciable amounts, show them both. p-Bromobenzyl bromide + sodium cyanide

Answer 1

p-bromobenzyl cyanide

Step-by-step explanation:

In a nucleophilic substitution, a nucleophile replaces a leaving group (halide ion) from a carbon atom, using a lone pair of electrons to form a new bond with the carbon atom.

In this reaction, the cyanide ion is the nucleophile and the bromide ion is the leaving group.

This nucleophilic substitution is an example of an SN₂ reaction. This reaction occurs in a single step, where bonds break and form simultaneously.

In this product, the nucleophile occupies the opposite stereochemical position to the original position of the leaving group. This result is known as an inversion of the carbon atom configuration.