Is 40% ethanol in water or 25% ethanol in water more polar? Can I safely say the more polar one will give me a faster rate of solvolysis for t-butyl chloride based on the solvent effect (does the solvent effect support the the sn1 model)?
25% ethanol in water is more polar than 40% ethanol in water. Among water and ethanol the polar solvent is water. if the amount of water is more then the polarity of the solvent also high.
Yes you are right. The solvolysis of t-butyl chloride is an SN1reaction which involves the formation of tertiary carbocation in it's first step which is rate determining step. A polar solvent solvates and aids to stabilize the developing carbocation which results the lowers the energy of the transition state and speeds up the reaction. The maximum the percentage of water in this solvent mixture, the more polar the solvent which is better to solvate in developing carbocation and lowering the activation energy.
Get Answers For Free
Most questions answered within 1 hours.