What is the effect of the -M (mesomeric) effect on the stability of a carbocation?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the effect of the -M (mesomeric) effect on the stability of a carbocation?
Destabilizes the carbocation
Stabilizes the carbocation
No effect on stability
Increases acidity
The -M effect can stabilize a carbocation by delocalizing the positive charge.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: What is the effect of the -M (mesomeric) effect on the stability of a carbocation?
Solution: The -M effect can stabilize a carbocation by delocalizing the positive charge.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what a carbocation is. A carbocation is a molecule that has a positively charged carbon atom.
Step 2: Learn about the -M (mesomeric) effect. The -M effect refers to the ability of certain groups (like -OH or -NH2) to donate electron density through resonance.
Step 3: Know that when a group with a -M effect is near a carbocation, it can help spread out (delocalize) the positive charge.
Step 4: Realize that by delocalizing the positive charge, the overall energy of the carbocation is lowered, making it more stable.
Step 5: Conclude that the -M effect stabilizes a carbocation by allowing the positive charge to be shared with other atoms in the molecule.
