171k views
5 votes
When do homo/heterolytic fission of haloalkanes occur?

User Toomuchcs
by
8.2k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Homo/heterolytic fission of haloalkanes can occur in certain chemical reactions. Homolytic fission involves the bond breaking and each atom retaining one electron, while heterolytic fission involves one atom retaining both electrons from the shared pair. Examples include reactions with nucleophiles and free radical halogenation of alkanes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Homo/heterolytic fission of haloalkanes occurs in certain chemical reactions. Homolytic fission is a type of bond cleavage in which the bond breaks and each atom retains one electron from the shared pair. Heterolytic fission is a type of bond cleavage in which the bond breaks and one atom retains both electrons from the shared pair.

For example, when a haloalkane reacts with a nucleophile, such as hydroxide ion (OH-) or cyanide ion (CN-), heterolytic fission occurs, resulting in the formation of an alkyl halide and a new compound.

On the other hand, during the free radical halogenation of alkanes, such as the reaction between methane (CH4) and chlorine (Cl2), homolytic fission occurs, leading to the formation of a haloalkane and a chlorine radical.

User DainDwarf
by
8.1k points