Electrophile facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Electrophilic addition of Br2
In this addition reaction, bromine (Br2) is the electrophile

In chemistry, an electrophile is a molecule or an atom that is happy to take electrons from another one. Many electrophiles have a positive charge. They are also called Lewis acids. Some examples of electrophiles are molecules where the atoms have a big difference in electronegativity, like HCl or a carbonyl, or also oxidizing agents.

Electrophiles get attacked by a nucleophile, which is the opposite kind of molecule. This happens for example in addition reactions.

Images for kids

  • Electrophilic addition of HCl

    390px

  • Electrophilic reaction of sulfuric acid with ethene

    580px


All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Electrophile Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.