Carbocation

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/carbocation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the formal definition?Even-electron cation with significant partial positive charge on a carbon atom (IUPAC)
2. What is the structural categories?Carbenium ions (three-coordinate carbon) and carbonium ions (five-coordinate carbon)
3. Why are carbocations called "speedy" or very reactive?Carbocations are very reactive because they want to fill the missing electrons. They quickly grab nearby atoms that have extra electrons, which starts new chemical reactions.
4. How do carbocations help make plastics or gasoline?In factories, carbocations help break big oil molecules into smaller, useful parts for gasoline, and they also help link small molecules together to make plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene.

IUPAC: International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, sets standards for chemical nomenclature.
Hyperconjugation: Stabilization of a carbocation by the overlap of adjacent C-H or C-C sigma bonds with the empty p-orbital.
Nucleophile: A chemical species that donates an electron pair to form a chemical bond in reactions.