Bromoethane

Bromoethane is a colorless, volatile haloalkane with formula C₂H₅Br. It serves as an ethylating reagent in organic synthesis and was formerly used as a topical anesthetic.

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Nucleophilic substitution: A reaction in which a nucleophile replaces a leaving group attached to an electrophilic atom. Nucleophiles displace bromide from bromoethane to form new carbon–nitrogen, carbon–oxygen, and carbon–carbon bonds.
Haloalkane: An organic compound in which one or more hydrogen atoms of an alkane are replaced by halogen atoms. Bromoethane is the simplest two-carbon member of this compound class containing bromine.
Ethylating agent: A reagent that transfers an ethyl group to another molecule. Bromoethane is used to install ethyl groups through reactions with nucleophiles.
Chloroethane: A haloalkane with formula C₂H₅Cl, also called ethyl chloride. Replacing bromine with chlorine changes bond strength, leaving-group behavior, and physical properties.
SN2 reaction: A concerted substitution in which a nucleophile attacks as a leaving group departs from the opposite side. Primary bromoethane commonly reacts by this one-step pathway, with inversion at the attacked carbon.
Ethyl group: A two-carbon alkyl substituent with formula C₂H₅–. Bromoethane consists of an ethyl group bonded to bromine.
Grignard reagent: An organomagnesium halide, commonly written R–Mg–X, used to form carbon–carbon bonds. Reaction of bromoethane with magnesium produces ethylmagnesium bromide.
Iodoethane: A haloalkane with formula C₂H₅I, also called ethyl iodide. Its carbon–iodine bond generally makes it more reactive in substitution than bromoethane.
Ethylation: A chemical reaction that adds an ethyl group to a molecule. Bromoethane transfers its ethyl group to nucleophiles in a broad range of synthesis reactions.
Bromine: A chemical element with symbol Br and atomic number 35. Its carbon–bromine bond gives bromoethane its defining halogen substituent.