optical activity

Question

2-Bromobutane undergoes SN1 to give racemic mixture because:

RankGuru · Accepted Answer

1. **Intermediate**: $SN1$ proceeds through the formation of a carbocation.
2. **Geometry**: The secondary carbocation formed from $2$-bromobutane is **planar ($sp^2$ hybridized)**.
3. **Accessibility**: Since the carbon is flat, the nucleophile ($e.g., OH^-$) can attack from either the front face or the back face with equal probability.
4. **Products**: 
   - Attack from front $	o$ Product with same configuration (Retention).
   - Attack from back $	o$ Product with inverted configuration (Inversion).
5. **Stereochemistry**: A $50:50$ mixture of $d$ and $l$ isomers is formed, resulting in a **racemic mixture** (optical inactivity).

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