Other Ways to Prepare Alkyl Halides from Alcohols

Explain why f-butyl alcohol reacts at equal rates with HCl, HBr, and HI (to form, in each case, the corresponding t-butyl halide). 

Solution f-Butyl alcohol is a tertiary alcohol thus it reacts by an Sjjl mechanism. As in all Sfjl reactions, the rate-determining step involves formation of a carbocation in this case, the f-butyl carbocation. The rate of this step does not depend on which acid is used, so all of the reactions proceed at equal rates. 

PROBLEM 7.16 Write equations for reactions of the following alcohols with concentrated HBr. 

Other Ways to Prepare Alkyl Halides from Alcohols 

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