E2 reaction

…also classified as E1 or E2, depending on the reaction kinetics. In an E1 reaction, the reaction rate is proportional to the concentration of the substance to be transformed; in an E2 reaction, the reaction rate is proportional to the concentrations of both the substrate and the eliminating agent.

…is given the mechanistic symbol E2, which stands for elimination-bimolecular. Elimination always accompanies nucleophilic substitution and is the chief limitation on efficient synthetic applications of nucleophilic substitution. By using a sufficiently strong base, it is usually possible to cause elimination to predominate over substitution, and dehydrohalogenation of alkyl halides by…