Describe the intermediate that is thought to form in the addition of a hydrogen halide to an alkene, using cyclohexene as the alkene in your description.

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Identify the reaction: The addition of a hydrogen halide (HX) to an alkene involves the formation of a carbocation intermediate.

Consider the structure of cyclohexene: Cyclohexene is a six-membered ring with one double bond, which will react with the hydrogen halide.

Protonation step: The first step in the reaction is the protonation of the alkene. The π electrons of the double bond attack the hydrogen atom of the hydrogen halide, resulting in the formation of a carbocation.

Formation of the carbocation: The protonation of cyclohexene leads to the formation of a cyclohexyl carbocation. This is the intermediate species in the reaction.

Nucleophilic attack: The halide ion (X⁻) then attacks the carbocation, leading to the formation of the final addition product, which is a haloalkane.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electrophilic Addition

Electrophilic addition is a fundamental reaction mechanism in organic chemistry where an electrophile reacts with a nucleophile, leading to the formation of a more saturated compound. In the case of alkenes, the double bond acts as a nucleophile, attacking the electrophilic hydrogen in hydrogen halides, resulting in the formation of a carbocation intermediate.

Carbocation Stability

Carbocations are positively charged species that form during electrophilic addition reactions. Their stability is influenced by the degree of substitution; tertiary carbocations are more stable than secondary or primary ones due to hyperconjugation and inductive effects. Understanding carbocation stability is crucial for predicting the major products of reactions involving alkenes.

Markovnikov's Rule

Markovnikov's Rule states that when a hydrogen halide adds to an asymmetric alkene, the hydrogen atom will attach to the carbon with the greater number of hydrogen atoms already attached. This rule helps predict the regioselectivity of the addition reaction, leading to the formation of the more stable carbocation and ultimately the major product in the reaction with cyclohexene.