Reactivity of alkyl halides is often related to the substitution of the carbon atom the halogen is attached to. Alkyl halides are categorized by the number of bonds to other alkyl groups (primary, sec...Reactivity of alkyl halides is often related to the substitution of the carbon atom the halogen is attached to. Alkyl halides are categorized by the number of bonds to other alkyl groups (primary, secondary, and tertiary). Iodine is the largest of the halogens yielding the longest/weakest bonds to carbon of the halogens. Grignard reagents react as bases where the alkyl group gets protonated and the metal complexes to the conjugate base of the reacting acid.
