Electrophilic addition Reaction

The electrophilic addition is the addition reaction where the addition reactions take place
when the electrophillic part of the reagent attacks first. There are various examples are
like addition reaction of alkenes or alkynes. There are various examples of electrophillic
addition reactions like addition of halogen acid like HBr on alkenes or alkynes or the
reaction s of hypochlorous acid on alkenes.
In electrophilic addition reaction , an electrophile approaches the double
or triple bond and in the first step forms a covalent bond with one of the carbon atoms
resulting in the formation of carbonium ion which the takes up the nucleophile to result in
addition product.

CH2 = CH2 +HBr === CH2Br-CH2Br

Ethylene Ethyl Bromide

Mechanism:

Step 1. Hydrogen bromide gives proton and bromide ion

HBr=== H+ + Br-

Step 2. the electrophile attacks the double bond to form the a

carbonium ion:

H+ + CH2=CH2 == CH3-CH2 +

STEP 3. Nucleophile now attacks the carbonium ion to form the

addition product.

CH3-CH2++ Br- ==CH3-CH2Br ( Ethyl Bromide)

The electrophillic addition reaction of HCl, HOCl, CH3COOH, and H2SO4 occurs in a
similar way.
In an unsymmetrical alkenes or alkynes the addition reaction takes place according to
the Markownikoff ‘s rule ,, which state that in an addition reaction the negative part of
the reagent is attached to that carbon atom which bears the minimum number of hydrogen
atom .

So in the following reaction:

CH3 –CH=CH2 +HBr == CH3CHBr-CH3 (2- bromo propane) – Main

Or CH3-CH2CH2Br (Bromo propane)

In the above electrophilic addition reaction there are 2 possible product, but as
Markownikoff’s rule says the first product is the main product because the negative part
of the reagent Br- is attached to 2- carbon atom which had only 1 hydrogen atom before
the reaction.
There is one more rule related to the electrophillic addition reaction , called the anti –
Markownikoff’s rule or peroxide effect or Kharash effect, “ in presence of some
peroxide like benzoyl peroxide or hydrogen peroxide the reaction mechanism of
electrophilic addition reaction occurs via free radical ant product follow the anti –
Markownikoff’s rule.