Abstract
1 SURPRISE FROM S N 2 SNAPSHOTS By analyzing snapshots of single-molecule collisions, an international research team uncovered unanticipated details about the mechanism of the classic bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (S N 2) reaction (CE Science 2008, 319 , 183). In addition to providing direct evidence for the traditional S N 2 mechanism in the gas phase, Roland Wester and colleagues at the University of Freiburg, in Germany, together with William L. Hase and colleagues at Texas Tech University detected an additional unexpected pathway. In this “roundabout mechanism” the nucleophile bumps into the substrate, spinning the substrate 360° before substitution and leaving-group displacement occur. To visualize these details, the Freiburg team crossed beams of reactants in a vacuum and detected the directional and speed distributions of the products. The data suggested at least two reaction mechanisms, one of which is the traditional S N 2 pathway. Atomic-level chemical dynamics simula...
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