Electrophile
Electrophile
Electrophile (pronounced: /ɪˈlɛktrəʊfaɪl/), from the Greek words "electron" (meaning amber) and "philos" (meaning loving), is a term used in organic chemistry to describe a reagent attracted to electrons that participates in a chemical reaction by accepting an electron pair in order to bond to a nucleophile.
Etymology
The term "Electrophile" was first introduced by Christopher Kelk Ingold in 1933. The prefix "Electro-" comes from the Greek word "ēlektron" which means amber, and the suffix "-phile" comes from the Greek word "philos" which means loving. Thus, "Electrophile" literally translates to "electron loving".
Characteristics
Electrophiles are often positively charged or neutral species that are deficient in electrons. They are attracted to regions of negative charge and can accept pairs of electrons from nucleophiles. This makes them key players in many important chemical reactions, including substitution reactions and addition reactions.
Related Terms
- Nucleophile: A chemical species that donates an electron pair to an electrophile to form a chemical bond in a reaction.
- Lewis acids and bases: Lewis acids are often electrophiles, as they accept electron pairs, while Lewis bases are often nucleophiles, as they donate electron pairs.
- Reaction mechanism: The step by step sequence of reactions by which the overall chemical change occurs.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Electrophile
- Wikipedia's article - Electrophile
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