An electrophile is a species that
- A. donates a pair of electrons
- B. accepts a pair of electrons and is attracted to electron rich centres
- C. always carries a negative charge
- D. contains an unpaired electron
Explanation
Electrophile means electron loving, so such a species is electron deficient and attacks regions of high electron density such as a double bond, examples being NO2+ and the polarised bromine molecule. A nucleophile does the opposite, donating a lone pair to an electron poor carbon. A species with an unpaired electron is a free radical, a third category altogether.