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Topic: Bond fission, free radicals, carbocations, carbanions and their stability· Some Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry

The most stable carbocation among the following is:

The most stable carbocation among the following is:

four carbocation structures (options 1-4)

1. [structure: methylcyclohexyl carbocation, see figure]

2. [structure: \(H_3C\)-\(\overset{\oplus}{C}H\)-\(CH(CH_3)_2\), see figure]

3. [structure: \(CH_3\)-\(\overset{\oplus}{C}H\)-\(CH_2\)-\(CH(CH_3)_2\), see figure]

4. [structure: cyclopentyl-\(\overset{\oplus}{C}H_2\), see figure]

1 answer

Best answer

Answer: 1. [structure: methylcyclohexyl carbocation, see figure]

Key idea: carbocation stability: tertiary > secondary > primary, and more hyperconjugation means more stability.

  • (1) methylcyclohexyl cation, charge on the ring carbon bearing \(\mathrm{CH_3}\): tertiary.
  • (2) and (3): secondary.
  • (4) cyclopentylmethyl cation: primary.

The tertiary cation has the most alkyl groups (hyperconjugation and +I), so option 1 is most stable.

Doubtly AI · 30 Oct 2026 AI-generated · not yet verified Report
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