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A hydroxide ion acting as a nucleophile in an S N 2 reaction, converting a haloalkane into an alcohol. In chemistry, a nucleophile is a chemical species that forms bonds by donating an electron pair. All molecules and ions with a free pair of electrons or at least one pi bond can act as nucleophiles. Because nucleophiles donate electrons, they ...
Here, a strong Lewis acid is required to generate either a carbocation from an alkyl halide in the Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction or an acylium ion from an acyl halide. In the vast majority of cases, reactions that involve leaving group activation generate a cation in a separate step, before either nucleophilic attack or elimination.
For example, carbon monoxide is a very weak Brønsted–Lowry base but it forms a strong adduct with BF 3. In another comparison of Lewis and Brønsted–Lowry acidity by Brown and Kanner, [ 19 ] 2,6-di- t -butylpyridine reacts to form the hydrochloride salt with HCl but does not react with BF 3 .
tert-Butoxide, on the other hand, is a strong base, but a poor nucleophile, because of its three methyl groups hindering its approach to the carbon. Nucleophile strength is also affected by charge and electronegativity : nucleophilicity increases with increasing negative charge and decreasing electronegativity.
The nucleophile may be electrically neutral or negatively charged, whereas the substrate is typically neutral or positively charged. An example of nucleophilic substitution is the hydrolysis of an alkyl bromide , R-Br under basic conditions, where the attacking nucleophile is hydroxyl ( OH − ) and the leaving group is bromide ( Br − ).
with regards to nucleophilic substitution reactions, electron-rich species are relatively strong nucleophiles, as judged by rates of attack by electrophiles. For example, compared to benzene , pyrrole is more rapidly attacked by electrophiles.
Some examples of nucleophiles include doubly stabilized carbon nucleophiles such as beta-ketoesters, malonates, and beta-cyanoesters. The resulting product contains a highly useful 1,5-dioxygenated pattern. Non-carbon nucleophiles such as water, alcohols, amines, and enamines can also react with an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl in a 1,4-addition. [10]
Organometallic compounds of electropositive metals are superbases, but they are generally strong nucleophiles. Examples include organolithium and organomagnesium ( Grignard reagent ) compounds. Another type of organometallic superbase has a reactive metal exchanged for a hydrogen on a heteroatom , such as oxygen (unstabilized alkoxides ) or ...