Experimental data from nucleophilic substitution reactions on substrates that have optical activity (the ability to rotate plane-polarized light) shows that two general mechanisms exist for these types of reactions. The first type is called an SN2 mechanism. This mechanism follows second-order kinetics (the reaction rate depends on the concentrations of two reactants), and its intermediate contains both the substrate and the nucleophile and is therefore bimolecular. The terminology SN2 stands for “substitution nucleophilic bimolecular.”
The second type of mechanism is an SN1 mechanism. This mechanism follows first-order kinetics (the reaction rate depends on the concentration of one reactant), and its intermediate contains only the substrate molecule and is therefore unimolecular. The terminology SN1 stands for “substitution nucleophilic unimolecular.”
SN2 mechanism
The alkyl halide substrate contains a polarized carbon halogen bond. The SN2 mechanism begins when an electron pair of the nucleophile attacks the back lobe of the leaving group. Carbon in the resulting complex is trigonal bipyramidal in shape. With the loss of the leaving group, the carbon atom again assumes a pyramidal shape; however, its configuration is inverted. See Figure below.
The SN2 mechanism can also be illustrated as shown in Figure .
Notice that in either picture, the intermediate shows both the nucleophile and the substrate. Also notice that the nucleophile must always attack from the side opposite the side that contains the leaving group. This occurs because the nucleophilic attack is always on the back lobe (antibonding orbital) of the carbon atom acting as the nucleus.
SN2 mechanisms always proceed via rearward attack of the nucleophile on the substrate. This process results in the inversion of the relative configuration, going from starting material to product. This inversion is often called the Walden inversion, and this mechanism is sometimes illustrated as shown in Figure . 
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