The major product of the reaction of ethyl bromide with silver nitrite is:

Options

A. Nitroethane
B. Nitroethane and ethyl nitrite
C. Ethyl nitrite
D. Ethane

Answer

To determine the major product of the reaction between ethyl bromide (C2H5Br) and silver nitrite (AgNO2), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Reactants
The reactants in this reaction are ethyl bromide (C2H5Br) and silver nitrite (AgNO2). Ethyl bromide is a haloalkane, and silver nitrite is a source of nitrite ion (NO2^-).

**Hint:** Remember that haloalkanes can undergo nucleophilic substitution reactions.

### Step 2: Understand the Mechanism
In this reaction, the nitrite ion (NO2^-) acts as a nucleophile. Nucleophilic substitution occurs when the nucleophile attacks the carbon atom bonded to the leaving group (in this case, bromine).

**Hint:** Identify the leaving group in the haloalkane. Here, bromine (Br) is the leaving group.

### Step 3: Nucleophilic Attack
The lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom of the nitrite ion will attack the carbon atom of ethyl bromide, resulting in the displacement of bromine. This leads to the formation of a new bond between the nitrogen and the carbon.

**Hint:** Consider the stability of the resulting species after the nucleophilic attack.

### Step 4: Formation of the Product
After the nucleophilic attack, we will have a compound where the carbon is now bonded to the nitrite group, resulting in the formation of nitroethane (C2H5NO2). The structure can be represented as:

```
O
||
C2H5-N-O^-
```

This indicates that the carbon is attached to the nitrogen atom, which is also bonded to an oxygen atom via a double bond.

**Hint:** Pay attention to the structure of the product. Is it a nitro compound or an ether?

### Step 5: Final Product Identification
The major product of this reaction is nitroethane (C2H5NO2). It is important to distinguish this from ethyl nitrate (C2H5ONO2), where the carbon would be attached to an oxygen atom instead of nitrogen.

**Hint:** Compare the structures of nitroethane and ethyl nitrate to confirm the correct product.

### Conclusion
The major product of the reaction of ethyl bromide with silver nitrite is nitroethane (C2H5NO2).

**Final Answer:** Nitroethane (Option A).