---
title: "Swarts reaction Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw"
url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/swarts-reaction/
description: "Swarts reaction template: Bromomethane and silver fluoride exchange halogens: fluoride attacks the carbon from the back while Ag⁺ pulls off bromide as…"
lang: en
publisher: Scidart Academy
generated: 2026-10-28
---
[MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/) › Swarts reaction

[Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/)Premium

# Swarts reaction template

![Swarts reaction template: Bromomethane and silver fluoride exchange halogens: fluoride attacks the carbon from the back while Ag⁺ pulls off bromide as insoluble AgBr.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/swarts-reaction.webp)

[Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro

Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing).

Bromomethane and silver fluoride exchange halogens: fluoride attacks the carbon from the back while Ag⁺ pulls off bromide as insoluble AgBr.

## Mechanism step by step

An alkyl chloride or bromide heated with a metal fluoride gives the alkyl fluoride

1. **Halogen exchange** – F⁻ attacks from the back; Ag⁺ takes the leaving bromide (drawn as SN2)

## Key points

- Used to make alkyl fluorides, which cannot be made by direct fluorination (too violent).
- Reagents: AgF, Hg₂F₂, CoF₂ or SbF₃ (SbF₃/SbCl₅ turns CCl₄ into the freon CCl₂F₂).
- Compare Finkelstein: NaI in acetone gives alkyl iodides by the same kind of exchange.
- The mechanism on solid metal fluorides is not fully settled; the step is drawn as SN2 with Ag⁺ assistance.

Drawn with 16 atoms, 4 arrows, 5 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.

## Sources

- [Smith, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., Wiley 2020](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119371809) Textbook

## How to use this template

1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need.
3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page.
4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Swarts reaction template free?

You can preview the Swarts reaction template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.

### Can I edit the Swarts reaction template?

Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.

### Is the chemistry checked?

Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.

### Which name reactions are included?

Over seventy, covering the reactions most often asked in school-leaving exams (A-level, IB, CBSE, JEE and NEET) and first-year university courses, including condensations, rearrangements, oxidations, reductions and aromatic substitutions.

## More name reactions templates

[**Fischer esterification**Free · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/fischer-esterification/)[**Grignard addition to a ketone**Free · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/grignard-addition/)[**Michael addition**Free · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/michael-addition/)[**Diels–Alder reaction**Premium · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/diels-alder/)[**Friedel–Crafts acylation**Premium · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/friedel-crafts-acylation/)[**Claisen condensation**Premium · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/claisen-condensation/)[**Friedel–Crafts alkylation**Premium · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/friedel-crafts-alkylation/)[**Cannizzaro reaction**Premium · Name reactions](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/cannizzaro-reaction/)

## Related pages

[**Curved Arrow Mechanism Worksheet**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/curved-arrow-mechanism-worksheet/)[**Predict the Product Worksheet: Organic Reactions**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/predict-the-product-worksheet/)[**All Name reactions templates**72 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/name-reactions/)[**All chemistry templates**370 templates in 29 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/)

MolDraw Pro

Download all 370 templates

- Export the 291 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF
- AI chemistry assistant
- Structure scanning from images
- Cloud save and teaching slides

[See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing)

Free templates stay free. Every template can be opened and edited in MolDraw.