Chapter 8, Problem 8.3P

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The free energy diagram for the ${\text{S}}_{\text{N}}\text{1}$ reaction in Your Turn 8.2 including overall reactants, overall products, the transition state, and the intermediate is to be drawn.

Concept introduction:

An ${\text{S}}_{\text{N}}\text{1}$ reaction is a unimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction and is a two-step reaction. In the first step, the leaving group breaks off, taking its bond pair with the carbon atom, thus forming a carbocation. In the second step, the incoming nucleophile attacks the carbocation, forming the product. Stereochemistry is important and applicable for an ${\text{S}}_{\text{N}}\text{1}$ reaction.

The free energy diagram involves the Gibbs free energy of the species involved in the reaction, which is plotted as a function of the reaction coordinate. The intermediate occurs at a local minimum in energy along the reaction coordinate. The overall reactants are on the far left, the overall products are on the far right.