Question

1. Why is the nitrate anion used as nucleophile in one procedure and iodide in the other? Which anion is being used to promote the Sn2 mechanism and which promotes the Sn1 reaction?

Answer 1

i would like to say one state ment

SN2 reactions required strong nucleophiles

because in SN2 nucleophile should attack before leave the leaving group

so it required strong nucleophile I- is the strong nucleophile

where as NO2- is week nucleophile

where as in case of SN1 reaction nucleophile will attack the after the carbo cation formation

so even nuetral nucleophile is sufficient to attack this

so answer is

NO2 i is week nucleophile favoured for SN1 reaction

I- is a strong nucleophile favoured for SN2 reaction