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If you changed the leaving group in 2-chloro-2-methylpropane to bromide in the reaction above, would the reaction go faster or slower (compared to 2-chloro-2-methylpropane) and why?

a) slower, bromide is a weaker base
b) slower, bromide is a stronger base
c) faster, bromide is a stronger base
d) faster, bromide is a weaker base

User MartinBG
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Changing the leaving group in 2-chloro-2-methylpropane to bromide would make the reaction go faster because bromide is a weaker base. Hence, the correct answer is option d).

Step-by-step explanation:

If you changed the leaving group in 2-chloro-2-methylpropane to bromide, the reaction would go faster because bromide is a weaker base compared to chloride. According to the general principle in organic chemistry, good leaving groups are usually weaker bases.

The order of leaving group ability among the halogens is I¯ > Br¯ > Cl¯ > F¯, with iodide being the best and fluoride being the worst. The basicity of halide ions follows the reverse order: F¯ > Cl¯ > Br¯ > I¯. Thus, since bromide is a weaker base than chloride.

It serves as a better leaving group, leading to an increased reaction rate for a substitution or elimination process involving 2-bromo-2-methylpropane compared to 2-chloro-2-methylpropane.

User Afeldspar
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