Reaction Intermediates
Reaction Intermediates: Overview
This topic covers concepts such as Reaction Intermediates, Carbanions, General Properties of Carbanions, Structure of Carbanions, Stability of Carbanions, Carbocations, General Properties of Carbocations, Stability of Carbocation, Free Radicals, etc.
Important Questions on Reaction Intermediates
Write correct order of stability of following carbocations :

Rank the following free radicals in order of decreasing stability:

The correct stability order for the following species is

Assertion. Tertiary carbocations are generally formed more easily than primary carbocations.
Reason. Hyperconjugation as well as inductive effect due to additional alkyl groups stabilise tertiary carbocations.

Assertion. Tertiary carbocations are generally formed more easily than primary carbocations.
Reason. Hyperconjugation as well as inductive effect due to additional alkyl groups stabilise tertiary carbocations.

Assertion (A): Simple carbanions are usually pyramidal but allyl carbanion is a planar species.
Reason (R) : All the carbon atoms in allyl carbanion are -hybridized.

An organic reaction occurs through making and breaking of bonds. The breaking of bonds may occur either homolytically leading to the formation of radicals or heterolytically generating positively and negatively charged species. The neutral species (free radicals, carbenes, nitrenes, etc.) and positively charged species being electron deficient are collectively called electrophiles while neutral and negatively charged species which are electron rich are called nucleophiles. An organic reaction usually involves the attack of a reagent (radicals, positively and negatively charged species) on the substrate molecule). The substrate molecule, although as a whole electrically neutral, has centers of low and high electron density due to displacement of bonding electrons. These electron displacements occur through inductive, electromeric, resonance and hyperconjugation effects. Whereas inductive effects involve displacement -electrons, resonance effects involve transfer of - and -electrons along a conjugated system. Hyperconjugatlon effects, on the other hand, involve --conjugation. Both inductive and hyperconjugation effects can be used to explain the stability of carbocations and free radicals which follow the stabilIty order : . The stability of carbanions, however, follows opposite order.
The stability of a molecule can be judged on the basis of contribution of its resonance structures. Resonance structures have same position of nuclei and have the same number of unpaired electrons. Among resonance structures, the one which has greater number of covalent bonds, has less separation of opposite charges, a negative charge on more electronegative and a positive charge on a more electropositive atom are more stable than others.
The geometry of a carbocation is _____.

Which of the following is a suitable condition for homolytic bond fission?

Can we conclude that free radicals are electrophilic?

Which of the following compounds has planar geometry?

What is the geometry of methyl free radical?

Why is the hybridization of methyl free radical and of trifluoromethyl free radical ?

_____ are formed by the homolytic cleavage of a covalent bond.

The stability order of the above carbocations is

The following compound
can readily be prepared by Williamson ether synthesis by reaction between

The species containing a carbon with three bonds and an electron are called

Which of the following carbanion is most stable?

What is the magnetic nature of free radicals ?

What is the decreasing order of stability of the ions?

The stablest radical among the following is
