sn1+stereochem

If the leaving group is on a chiral carbon, the SN1 reaction will produce a mixture of isomers. This mixture is usually 50:50 (one R, one S) and is given the name //racemic.//

A racemic mixture stems from the 3D shape of the carbocation:



The empty 2p orbital is equally distributed above and below the carbocation, so the nucleophile may bond to either side.



To predict the stereochemistry of an SN1 reaction, make sure first that the site of substitution is chiral, then simply draw one of each isomer (wedged bond and dashed bond).