Question Details

The compound that will undergo SN1 reaction with the fastest rate is

Options

A

B

C

D

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option D

(1-bromoethyl)benzene

Solution :

The correct compound is (1-bromoethyl)benzene (the structure shown in the fourth image, C6H5CH(Br)CH3).

Reasoning:
The rate of an SN1 reaction depends directly on the stability of the carbocation intermediate formed in the rate-determining step (loss of the leaving group, Br-). Let us analyze the carbocations formed by each of the given compounds:

1. (Bromomethyl)cyclohexane (first image):
This is a primary alkyl halide. Upon loss of the bromide ion, it forms a primary carbocation:
C6H11CH2-BrC6H11CH2++Br-
Primary carbocations are highly unstable, resulting in an extremely slow rate of SN1 reaction.

2. Bromocyclohexane (second image):
This is a secondary alkyl halide. Upon loss of the bromide ion, it forms a secondary cyclohexyl carbocation:
C6H11-BrC6H11++Br-
A secondary carbocation is moderately stable, but lacks resonance stabilization.

3. Bromobenzene (third image):
This is an aryl halide. The carbon-bromine bond has partial double-bond character due to resonance, making it very strong. Additionally, forming a phenyl carbocation is extremely unfavorable:
C6H5-BrC6H5++Br-
Therefore, aryl halides do not undergo SN1 reactions under normal conditions.

4. (1-Bromoethyl)benzene (fourth image):
This is a secondary benzylic halide. Upon loss of the bromide ion, it forms a secondary benzylic carbocation:
C6H5CH(Br)CH3C6H5CH+CH3+Br-
This carbocation is highly stabilized by resonance conjugation with the pi-electrons of the aromatic benzene ring, allowing the positive charge to be delocalized over multiple ring positions. As a result, this intermediate forms very rapidly, leading to the fastest SN1 reaction rate among the choices.

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