if sodium iodoacetate is used instead of sodium chloroacetate, how will the rate of reaction be affected? explain.
What was the experiment?
Experiments with these two molecules are usually to demonstrate the electron withdrawing power (greater electronegativity) of Cl than I.
Lab was: PREPARATION OF A SYNTHETIC PLANT HORMONE
To determine how the rate of reaction will be affected by using sodium iodoacetate instead of sodium chloroacetate, we need to consider the chemical properties of these two compounds.
Both sodium iodoacetate and sodium chloroacetate are organic compounds containing a carboxylic acid group (-COOH) and a halogen atom (iodine or chlorine) attached to the alpha carbon. These compounds are commonly used in organic chemistry reactions as acylating agents, meaning they can transfer the acyl group (-COCH3) to another compound.
The rate of a reaction is often influenced by the reactivity of the reactants. In this case, we can expect some differences in reactivity between sodium iodoacetate and sodium chloroacetate due to the different halogen atoms attached to the alpha carbon.
Iodine is larger and less electronegative than chlorine. This means that the carbon-iodine bond in sodium iodoacetate is weaker than the carbon-chlorine bond in sodium chloroacetate. As a result, the carbon-iodine bond is more likely to break during the reaction, leading to the transfer of the acyl group to another compound.
Therefore, using sodium iodoacetate instead of sodium chloroacetate is likely to increase the reactivity and rate of the reaction. The weaker carbon-iodine bond in sodium iodoacetate makes it a more reactive acylating agent, facilitating the transfer of the acyl group to the other compound in the reaction.
It's important to note that the specific reaction conditions and other factors may also influence the rate of the reaction. However, based on the differences in reactivity between sodium iodoacetate and sodium chloroacetate, we can expect an increased rate of reaction when using sodium iodoacetate.