42 Unit 4: Haloalkanes
Haloalkanesare alkanes that contain one or more members of the halogen family. The
halogens found in organic molecules are chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and iodine. Some texts
refer to this class of compounds ashalogenoalkanesoralkyl halides. This text will
frequently use bothhaloalkaneandalkyl halide, so it’s important to remember that
they are the same thing.
Note:The X in R-X represents a generic halogen atom.