Primary substrates give S_N2 with good nucleophiles, such as: I^- , Cl^- , Br^- , NH₃ , N₃^- , CN^- , HS^- , CH₃S^- , OH^- , CH₃O^- , NH₂^- .

 

Primary substrates do not react with bad nucleophiles: water, alcohols, and acetic acid.

 

 

Primary substrates give E2 with hindered bases: potassium tert-butoxide and LDA

 

Secondary Substrates: Secondary substrates have two chains on the alpha carbon.

Secondary substrates give S _N 2 with good nucleophiles other than strong bases, such as: I^- , Cl^- , Br^- , NH₃ , N₃^- , CN^- , HS^- , CH₃S^-

 

Secondary substrates give S_N1 with bad nucleophiles: water, alcohols, and acetic acid

 

 

Secondary substrates give E2 with strong and hindered bases: OH^- , CH₃O^- , NH₂^- , ^tBuO^- , LDA

 

Tertiary Substrates: Tertiary substrates have three chains on the alpha carbon.

Tertiary substrates give S_N1 with weak bases: I^- , Cl^- , Br^- , water and alcohols

 

 

Tertiary substrates are mostly eliminated with the rest of the species: CN^- , NH₃ , HS^- , N₃^- , CH₃S^- , OH^- , CH₃O^- , NH₂^- , ^tBuO^- , LDA

 

 

Strong bases, OH^- , CH₃O ^- and NH₂^- , and hindered bases, ^tBuO^- and LDA, give 100% E2. The rest of the bases give mixtures E1, E2, increasing the percentage of E2 with the strength of the base.