Reaction Mechanisms

A balanced equation says what goes in and what comes out; a mechanism says how, one electron pair at a time. Draw curly arrows yourself, from lone pairs and bonds to the atoms that receive them, and watch each step produce its products. Meet nucleophiles and electrophiles, the one-step SN2 with its umbrella flip, the carbocations of SN1, eliminations that make double bonds, additions that break them, and attacks on the carbonyl group, then string reactions together to plan a synthesis.