A student compares the relative rates of hydrolysis of 1-chlorobutane, 1-bromobutane, and 1-iodobutane by heating each halogenoalkane with aqueous silver nitrate in the presence of ethanol.
Which statement correctly explains the observations and chemistry of this experiment?
The cream precipitate of silver bromide is the first to appear because the C–Br\text{C–Br}C–Br bond is more polar than the C–I\text{C–I}C–I bond.
Ethanol is added to act as the nucleophile that attacks the electron-deficient carbon atom in the halogenoalkanes.
The yellow precipitate of silver iodide forms most rapidly because the C–I\text{C–I}C–I bond has the lowest bond enthalpy.
The white precipitate of silver chloride forms most rapidly because the C–Cl\text{C–Cl}C–Cl bond is the most polar.
15 exam-style questions on OCR A A Level Chemistry Haloalkanes. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.