Carbocation

Alcohols and Alkyl Halides: Introduction to Reaction Mechanisms In this chapter we explore structure and reactivity in more detail by developing two concepts: functional groups and reaction mechanisms. A functional group is the atom or group in a molecule most responsible for the reaction the compound undergoes under a prescribed set of conditions. How the structure of the reactant is transformed to that of the product is what we mean by the reaction mechanism. 4.1 Functional Groups Table 4.1 lists the major families of organic compounds covered in this text and their functional groups. 4.2 IUPAC Nomenclature of Alkyl Halides The IUPAC rules permit alkyl halides to be named in two different ways, called functional class