JEE Main levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 2 of 3hx212
Assertion: SN1 hydrolysis of an optically active secondary alkyl halide often gives a product with a slight excess of the inverted enantiomer instead of a perfectly racemic mixture. Reason: the leaving group in the intimate ion pair partly shields the front face of the carbocation from the nucleophile.
ABoth Assertion and Reason are true, and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion
BBoth Assertion and Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion
CAssertion is true but Reason is false
DAssertion is false but Reason is true
Answer: A
The departing halide stays near the front face of the cation as an ion pair, so water attacks more easily from the back side. This gives slight excess of inversion, so the Reason explains the Assertion.