Optically active 2 -iodobutane on treatment with NaI, loses its optical activity. Explain why.

Based on the step-by-step solution, answer the following question: Explain the loss of optical activity in the reaction between optically active 2-iodobutane and NaI. In the reaction between 2-iodobutane and NaI, the loss of optical activity occurs due to the formation of a racemic mixture, which is a 1:1 mixture of two enantiomers. Despite containing optically active molecules, the racemic mixture does not exhibit optical activity because the rotations due to each enantiomer cancel each other out. This happens because the iodide ion can attack the chiral carbon atom from both the front and back sides, leading to the formation of both R and S configurations of 2-iodide butane. As a result, the overall optical activity of the reaction mixture is lost.