This document discusses elimination reactions where a small molecule is removed from a reactant. It describes the elimination of HBr from bromoalkanes using a dilute NaOH solution, which can cause either a substitution or elimination reaction depending on conditions. The two types of elimination reactions are E2, a bimolecular process without intermediates typical of primary/secondary halides, and E1, a unimolecular reaction with a carbocation intermediate typical of tertiary halides. Hydroxide acts as a base by accepting a proton from the alkyl halide, initiating electron movement that forms a C=C double bond and removes the halide.