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Topic: E1 & SN1 Reactions: Leaving Groups  (Read 17466 times)

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pck24

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Re:E1 & SN1 Reactions: Leaving Groups
« Reply #15 on: May 26, 2005, 08:44:38 PM »
Is a driving force necessarily required for the initial formation of the carbocation?  In a large sample of a particular species there will be a Boltzmann distribution of energies in  the molecules.  There will be a particular activation energy for the formation of the carbocation, and in a mixture a small portion of the molecules will have enough energuy to overcome this activation energy (the exact proportion dependant on temperature according to exp(1/T) ).

Once the carbocation has formed then, the nucleophile or the leaving group may reattatch to it forming the product.  I think the driving force only really becomes relevant at this stage of the mechanism, where it is energetically favourable to form a neutral compound.  

Or maybe I'm wrong.

Offline Winga

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Re:E1 & SN1 Reactions: Leaving Groups
« Reply #16 on: May 27, 2005, 03:28:31 AM »
I think it is caused by solvolysis.

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