It's true that the concentration of base doesnt affect the overall rate of reaction, but that doesn't mean that it can't effect the distribution of products.
In an SN1, the RDS is loss of the halide, and the carbocation is so reactive that it will immediately form a bond with any nucleophile that approaches it (much more quickly than loss of the halide). I would suppose that you get 80% the ethanol addition product, and 20% the water product, since the distribution of products should just reflect the statistical likelihood of encountering either potential nucleophile.
It's true that the concentration of base doesnt affect the overall rate of reaction, but that doesn't mean that it can't effect the distribution of products.
In an SN1, the RDS is loss of the halide, and the carbocation is so reactive that it will immediately form a bond with any nucleophile that approaches it (much more quickly than loss of the halide). I would suppose that you get 80% the ethanol addition product, and 20% the water product, since the distribution of products should just reflect the statistical likelihood of encountering either potential nucleophile.
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In an SN1, the RDS is loss of the halide, and the carbocation is so reactive that it will immediately form a bond with any nucleophile that approaches it (much more quickly than loss of the halide). I would suppose that you get 80% the ethanol addition product, and 20% the water product, since the distribution of products should just reflect the statistical likelihood of encountering either potential nucleophile.
In an SN1, the RDS is loss of the halide, and the carbocation is so reactive that it will immediately form a bond with any nucleophile that approaches it (much more quickly than loss of the halide). I would suppose that you get 80% the ethanol addition product, and 20% the water product, since the distribution of products should just reflect the statistical likelihood of encountering either potential nucleophile.
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