The question is incomplete, the complete question is;
Indicate which reaction will occur faster. Explain your reasoning. Select the single best answer Hexyl chloride or cyclohexyl chloride with sodium azide in aqueous ethanol O Cyclohexyl chloride reacts faster because it is more soluble in the solvent OHexyl chloride reacts faster because it is less sterically hindered. O Cyclohexyl chloride reacts faster because its carbocation intermediate is more stable. Hexyl chloride reacts faster because hydrogen abstraction is more likely to occur in this compound.
Answer:
Hexyl chloride reacts faster because it is less sterically hindered.
Explanation:
Now we have to think through the problem carefully. We must remember that the azide ion is a good nucleophile. Being a good nucleophile, we should be thinking about an SN2 reaction mechanism.
Though ethanol is a polar protic solvent which may weaken the nucleophile by hydrogen bonding, the nucleophile will still react very fast with a primary alkyl halide such as hexyl chloride via SN2 mechanism.
The substrate is easily accessible to the azide ion in hexyl chloride compared to cyclohexyl chloride hence hexyl chloride reacts faster than cyclohexyl chloride.
