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Carbocations Stability in E1 and E2 Reactions
Carbocations, which are unstable intermediates in organic reactions, are high-charged compounds. The role of carbocations is crucial in the formation and outcome of E1-E2 acid-catalyzed or base-induced alcohol dehydration. For the E1 reaction to take place, it is necessary for a carbocation intermediary. The carbocation is formed in the alpha carbon of the alcohol. It then stabilizes by the adjacent alkyl groups, which allows it to undergo the elimination of its leaving group from the beta-carbon. (Hagen and al., 2019, Hagen et al. The E1 reaction produces trans-2-butene, which is why it’s the most stable (Jacobs and al., 2019, 2019). However, E2 does not support the formation a carbocation intermediary and therefore does not happen. Because the reaction itself is coordinated, the carbocation intermediate wouldn’t form. (Hagen and al., 2019,). In the E2 reaction, the only stable product is 1-butene (Jacobs and al., 2019,).
