In my organic chemistry class, the lecture notes and professor does not label any of the reactions as "SN1, SN2, E1 or E2," and nor does the textbook. However, many of the video tutorials online as well as in my prior organic class at another school, we used such classifications.

 

Can anyone explain why this is such?

Not every reaction is an S_N1, S_N2, E1 or E2 reaction; unless you are learning about those reactions specifically, they probably won't be labeled as such. What reactions are you referring to?

Not every reaction is an S_N1, S_N2, E1 or E2 reaction; unless you are learning about those reactions specifically, they probably won't be labeled as such. What reactions are you referring to?

 

She is correct in the sense that you should be a little more specific in terms of what mechanisms you are referring to.... Are you talking about the nucleophilic substitution of alkyl halides? (bc that is what i just learned about)

Edited October 26, 201114 yr by ScarletKnight13

I got a book

it says that symbol assigned as Sn1, for substitution, nucleophilic, unimolecular

and for Sn2, substitution, nucleophilic, bimolecular.

 

E1, for elimination, unimolecualr

E2, for elimination, bimolecular.

 

 

Well, there's a little more to it than that; that's the crux of it though, I suppose.