What is an electrophile? How do you know that something is an electrophile? Organic Chemistry Alkene and Alkyne Addition Reactions Introduction to Reactions and Mechanisms 1 Answer anor277 Oct 17, 2016 An #"electrophile"# is an an electron pair acceptor; a #"nucleophile"# is an an electron pair donor. Explanation: By the given definition, a #"Lewis acid"# is an electrophile. How do you make the designation? How else but by experiment? Answer link Related questions Why is the product of the addition of #Cl_2# to trans-2-butene a meso compound? What are alkenes and alkynes used for? Why are alkenes and alkynes called unsaturated compounds? Are all alkenes and alkynes unsaturated hydrocarbons? Why are alkenes and alkynes more reactive? How can i dentify the nucleophile and the electrophile in #H-Br# + #HO^-)hArr Br^-#+#H_2O#... Can you explain the mechanism of the reaction (step-by-step) by which the alkene + HBr is... Why are electrophilic addition reactions the characteristic reactions of alkenes? How are synthetic alkynes used for birth control? Why are alkynes less reactive than alkenes in electrophilic addition reactions? See all questions in Introduction to Reactions and Mechanisms Impact of this question 1783 views around the world You can reuse this answer Creative Commons License