April 18, 2024, 11:41:55 AM
Forum Rules: Read This Before Posting


Topic: Ethanol vs water in Sn1 E1 ratio  (Read 639 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline OrganicH2O

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 79
  • Mole Snacks: +3/-0
Ethanol vs water in Sn1 E1 ratio
« on: March 10, 2021, 12:34:30 AM »
For a tertiary halide+ethanol, compared to a tertiary halide + water, should one expect this to change the Sn1/E1 ratio significantly?

I saw in the answers to a problem set that a tertiary halide + ethanol was giving E1 as the major product, and the exact same tertiary halide + water was giving Sn1 as the major product. Is there any reasoning for this, or was the person who wrote this answer key just senile? There was no mention of temperature, so I guess assume room temperature.

Perhaps water is a slightly stronger nucleophile, and I'm not sure at all of the thermodynamics of it. I haven't seen this logic used in any textbook.
I have a Master's in organic chemistry and I am exposed to a LOT of different introductory organic chem classes in the course of my work, ranging from very basic to Harvard. I am here to refine my knowledge and consult with other organic chemistry nerds.

Sponsored Links