Study clarifies the role of the leaving group in gas-phase bimolecular reaction
Friday, December 18, 2015 - 07:30
in Physics & Chemistry
One of the first reaction mechanisms students learn in undergraduate organic chemistry is the SN2 reaction. Named because it involves the collision of two molecules, its energy barrier is related to the nucleophile, the solvent, and the leaving group. Exactly how the leaving group influences what is going on at the molecular level, however, remains elusive.