The reaction of purely aliphatic ethyl chloride () with alcoholic silver cyanide () strictly yields which of the following as the major functionalized organic product?

Question

The reaction of purely aliphatic ethyl chloride ($CH_3CH_2Cl$) with alcoholic silver cyanide ($AgCN$) strictly yields which of the following as the major functionalized organic product?

Prashant Kotian · Accepted Answer

Correct answer: B. Cyanide is an ambident nucleophile. Because the bond in is largely covalent, the carbon atom is unavailable for direct attack. The incoming substitution is rigorously forced through the lone pair explicitly on the nitrogen atom, generating ethyl isocyanide.

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