Which of the following is not an electrophile? How is this determined?

#NO_2^+#
#BF_3#
#CH_2=CH_2#
#H^+#

1 Answer
P dilip_k
Jul 18, 2016

"Electrophiles are positively charged or neutral species having vacant orbitals that are attracted to an electron rich centre. It participates in a chemical reaction by accepting an electron pair in order to bond to a nucleophile"

On the basis of above definition given in the net we can judge which one of the given species is not an eletrophile.

#NO_2^+ and H^+ "positively charged"# so attracted towards ngatively charged centers and hence they are charged electrophiles.

#BF_3-># A neutral molecule but the valence shell of its central atom B is not completely fulfilled.This electron deficiency makes it an electrophile.

#CH_2=CH_2# is neutral molecule but it has got #pi#-bond.So this molecule is capable of donating eletron.Hence does not act as an electrophile.

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