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Q.Which carbocation is more stable?

(a) (CH3)3C-CH2^+
(b) (CH3)3C^+
(c) CH3-CH2-CH2^+
(d) CH3-CH(+)-CH2-CH3
Himachal HpboseHPBOSE Himachal Pradesh Class 11 Board Exam 2024MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★
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Among the given carbocations, (CH3)3C^+ (the tert-butyl cation) is the most stable because it is tertiary — three electron-donating methyl groups are directly attached to the positively charged carbon.

Carbocation stability order is: tertiary (3 degree) > secondary (2 degree) > primary (1 degree) > methyl. This is because alkyl groups attached to the electron-deficient carbon stabilise the positive charge in two ways:

  1. +I (inductive) effect — alkyl groups push electron density towards the positively charged carbon, partially neutralising the charge.
  2. Hyperconjugation — adjacent C-H sigma bonds can donate electron density into the empty p-orbital of the carbocation; more alkyl groups means more such C-H bonds (more "no-bond resonance" structures) available to stabilise the cation.

Checking each option:

  • (CH3)3C-CH2^+ (option a): the positive charge is on a primary carbon (CH2^+) even though a bulky tert-butyl group is nearby — it's a primary (neopentyl-type) cation, not very stable. …

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