What is a Carbocation and Carbanion? | Organic Chemistry

[@shubhYadav-v4s]

this is the only explanation i needed

[@ShreyanshAgrawal-qf5ml]

How does carbanion have a lone pair

[@orgobuddy]

Good question! A carbanion is the conjugate base of a carbon acid. In the most simple form, consider a methane molecule (CH4) losing a proton (H+). Whenever you lose a proton in acid/base chemistry, you are losing a hydrogen atom, but the lone pair stays with the conjugate base. So the conjugate base of CH4 would be CH3-, or in other words a carbon atom that is trivalent (connected to three hydrogen atoms via single bonds) with a negative formal charge. In order for the carbon to possess a negative formal charge and have three bonds, it must have a lone pair.

[@prinshakc-lu1fp]

Tnq😍

[@Next_topper-i1k]

Why carbon form carbocation and carbanion?...

[@orgobuddy]

Carbo-cation = carbon cation = positively charged carbon (this occurs when carbon loses a bond and hydrogen atom, so a carbon atom with three bonds and no lone pairs) Carb-anion = carbon anion = negatively charged carbon (this occurs when carbon loses a proton but retains the lone pair, so a carbon atom with three bonds and a single lone pair)

[@orgobuddy]

Carbocations can form when a good leaving group (i.e. Br, Cl, etc) leaves, separating from the carbon atom. Carbocations have poor stability, and their main source of stabilization include resonance and hyperconjugation. This is why resonance-stabilized and tertiary carbocations form more easily. Carbanions can form when a strong base deprotonates a carbon acid.

[@Next_topper-i1k]

@@orgobuddy thank you 😊