Protic solvents

Definition

Protic solvents are substances that have a hydrogen atom attached to an oxygen (as in alcohol or water) or nitrogen atom, making them capable of forming hydrogen bonds. They play a crucial role in facilitating SN2 reactions by stabilizing the transition state and reactants through hydrogen bonding.

Related terms

Nucleophile: A chemical species that donates an electron pair to an electrophile to form a chemical bond in a reaction.

Electrophile: An atom or molecule that accepts an electron pair to form a new covalent bond.

Transition State: The high-energy state during a chemical reaction where old bonds are breaking and new bonds are forming