1In an Sn1 nucleophilic substitution reaction, why is it always carried out in the presence of a polar protic solvent? Is it so that a proton can react with the leaving group and hence remove it from the system so that the reaction can proceed in the forward direction by the LE Chatelier PRINCIPLE?2Take a Nucleophilic substitution reaction with an alkyl halide as one of the reactantsIs the leaving group said to be the halide ion or just the halogen atom?
Basically yesIn a nucleophilc reaction you are basically trying to remove a negative component and replace it by another oneYou need to remove the leaving negative ion from the reaction to encourage the reaction to proceed from left to right, as you wrote Le Chatelier principle or the law of mass actionI assume you mean a Freidel Crafts reaction in the presence of anhydrous aluminium chlorideNucleoplilic implies an electronic situationIt is a species seeking out a postive site for attackSo the leaving negative group has to be charged, that is the halide ion.
