Question

What do carbocations usually do?

Answer 1

You will get rearrangement. In other words, not the product you were looking for.

Explanation:

This is, as chemists would say, a bad thing.

In either an `SN_1` or an `E_1` reaction, if you are starting out with a leaving group on a tertiary carbon, you are going to be fine. Tertiary carbocations are the most stable. You will get your expected product.

However, if your leaving group is on a primary or secondary cargon, you are going to get a mixture of products:

This mixture of products is the signature of the generation of a carbocation.