Backside Attack
The backside attack is a term used in
chemistry, in
nucleophilic substitution. It refers to a part in the process when a
nucleophile attatches to the "back" of another
atom, usually
carbon in the
SN2 reaction.
It is the opposite of the
frontside attack, where a nucleophile attaches to the front of the atom.
Inversion occurs from backside attack
when the
nucleophile attacks the
electrophile, the configuration of the
molecule is inverted.
This term caused much merriment amongst the chemistry-studying students in my class, who are usually amused by such things.