CHM 2210 Lecture Notes - Electrophile, Nucleophile, Lone Pair

• School: University of Florida
• Department: Chemistry
• Course: CHM 2210
• Professor: port

Document Summary

Nucleophilicity refers to the rate at which a particular nucleophile will attack an electrophile. It is a nucleophilic center capable of reacting with a positive charge or a partial positive charge. Any atom that possesses localized lone pair of electrons can be nucleophilic i. d. The strength of a nucleophile is affected by many factors, including polariziblaity i. ii. Polarizabiligh describes the ability of an atom to distribute its electron density unevenly in response to external influces. For example, sulfur is very large and has many electrons that are distant from the nucleus, and its electron density can be unevenly distributed when it comes near an alectrophile e. Basicity, unlike nucleophilicty, is not a kinetic phenonomenon. Reagents that are highly polarizable but are weak bases because their conjugate acids are fairily acidic a. b. Use of one of these signifies a substitution reaction is occuring!! Reagnents that are bases only are not polarizble, but have weak conjugate acids a.