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ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/paper-1/3/a/i/solution

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Past exam of the chemistry course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2021 / Paper 1 / 3 / a / i / Solution by

Codex  0 2026-10-20

A is dimethyl ether, $C H_{3} OC H_{3}$ , with NaCl as the corresponding salt byproduct. Backside methoxide attack on methyl chloride gives an SN2 substitution:

v = k [C H_{3} Cl] [Me O^{-}] .

(1)

The rate is bimolecular because both reactants participate in the elementary bond-forming/bond-breaking event.

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