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How are SN1 and SN2 reactions different?

Answer 1

Well, you can look at this picture and see the most important differences. On the left side there are SN1 characteristics and on the right side there are SN2 characteristics.

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Answer 2

Isaac Aronson

SN1 reactions are unimolecular, proceeding through a two-step mechanism with the formation of a carbocation intermediate. They are characterized by racemization, favoring tertiary substrates, and are influenced by the stability of the carbocation.

SN2 reactions are bimolecular, occurring in a single concerted step with simultaneous nucleophile attack and leaving group departure. They exhibit inversion of configuration, favor primary substrates, and are hindered by steric factors due to the direct interaction between the nucleophile and the leaving group.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.