If you remember the song
Waterloo by Abba
http://www.bun.ru/midi/midi_mid_archive/Abba/Waterloo.mid
My my! In SN2, the rate law is second order,
Oh yeah! The step thats rate determining has two reactants in:
The leaving groups still attached while
Attacked by the nucleophile
SN2! Nucleophile joins as old bond breaks,
SN2! Two partial bonds in transition state;
SN2! Sterically best with few alkyl groups,
SN2! Rate law is raised to the power two.
Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa, SN2 - primary halides go SN2!
My my! Inductively, no hope for primry halides -
Oh yeah! One electron-releasing alkyl group to stabilise:
Theres no carbocation here
(Not stable enough, it appears)
SN2! Nucleophile joins as old bond breaks,
SN2! Two partial bonds in transition state;
SN2! Sterically best with few alkyl groups,
SN2! Rate law is raised to the power two.
Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa, SN2 - primary halides go SN2!
Theres no carbocation here
(Not stable enough, it appears)
SN2! Sterically best with few alkyl groups,
SN2! Primary halides go SN2,
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, SN2 - primary halides go SN2!
Oo-oo-ooo-ooh, SN2 - primary halides go SN2,
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, SN2 - primary halides go SN2!