Second-order reaction

Definition

A second-order reaction is one in which the rate of reaction depends on the concentration of two reactants or on the square of the concentration of a single reactant. In the context of SN2 reactions, this means that both the nucleophile and substrate concentrations affect the reaction rate.

Related terms

Nucleophile:

A chemical species that donates an electron pair to an electrophile to form a chemical bond.

Substrate:

The molecule that undergoes a change in a chemical reaction, often attacked by a nucleophile in SN2 reactions.

Reaction rate: The speed at which reactants are converted into products in a chemical reaction