The rate of an SN1 reaction depends on the concentration of
- A. both the alkyl halide and the nucleophile
- B. the alkyl halide only
- C. the nucleophile only
- D. the solvent only
Explanation
The slow, rate determining step is the ionisation of the alkyl halide into a carbocation and a halide ion, and the nucleophile is not involved until the fast second step, so it does not appear in the rate equation. This is why the reaction is called unimolecular. Detecting first order kinetics is the standard experimental evidence for the SN1 pathway.
Related questions
The order of reactivity of alkyl halides towards nucleophilic substitution, for the same alkyl group, is
The reaction of bromoethane with aqueous potassium hydroxide gives
An SN2 reaction is characterised by
A tertiary alkyl halide usually undergoes nucleophilic substitution by the SN1 mechanism because
Reaction of bromoethane with alcoholic ammonia under pressure gives