PBr3 and SoCl2

Started by Deepa100
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Deepa100

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15+ Year Member
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Hi,
Does anyone remember why SN2 works better for reactions of alcohols with HBr when you use PBr3 or SoCl2? I used to know...
 
HBr is acidic, so if water leaves, carbocation rearrangements can occur. You may end up with the wrong product.

No rearrangements are possible with PBr3 and SOCl2 because they are SN2-like.