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Chemistry · Glossary

What is Substitution, addition, elimination?

Also known as: substitution · addition · elimination

Definition 40.9 School Chemistry — Grades 1 to 12 · Chapter 40 — Reaction Mechanisms: Curly Arrows

In a substitution, an atom or group of a molecule is replaced by another. In an addition, two molecules join into one, a multiple bond becoming a single one. In an elimination, a small molecule (often water) is removed from a molecule, a single bond becoming a multiple one.

Three mechanisms. Orange arrows: a donor pair forms a new bond. Blue arrows: a bond breaks, its pair going to the more electronegative atom. In the elimination the hydrogen ion is given back at the end.
Three mechanisms. Orange arrows: a donor pair forms a new bond. Blue arrows: a bond breaks, its pair going to the more electronegative atom. In the elimination the hydrogen ion is given back at the end.
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