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

User Bhjghjh
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Final answer:

The reaction with a chlorine leaving group (2-chlorobutane) will be faster compared to a bromine leaving group (2-bromobutane) because chlorine is a better leaving group. Therefore, if you changed the leaving group in 2-chlorobutane to bromide, the reaction would be slower.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reaction that converts 2-chlorobutane to 2-bromobutane is a nucleophilic substitution reaction. In this reaction, a nucleophile attacks the carbon atom bonded to the leaving group, causing the leaving group to be replaced by the nucleophile. The rate of this reaction depends on several factors, including the reactivity of the leaving group.

In general, the reaction will be faster if the leaving group is more reactive. In this case, since chlorine is more reactive than bromine, the reaction with a chlorine leaving group (2-chlorobutane) will be faster compared to a bromine leaving group (2-bromobutane). This is because chlorine is a better leaving group, meaning it can more easily detach from the carbon atom.

Therefore, if you changed the leaving group in 2-chlorobutane to bromide, the reaction would be slower compared to 2-chlorobutane because bromine is a less reactive leaving group.

User Chely
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