Consider the following grayscale electrostatic potential map.The regions are labeled as to color. Which atom is the most likely to be attacked by a nucleophile?
A)1
B)2
C)3

Question

Consider the following grayscale electrostatic potential map.The regions are labeled as to color.  Which atom is the most likely to be attacked by a nucleophile?
A)1 
B)2 
C)3

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nucleophiles are attracted to areas of high electron density, which in this case would be the region around the carbonyl group. Atom 2 has a large negative potential, indicating a high electron density and making it the most likely to be attacked by a nucleophile.

Consider the Following Grayscale Electrostatic Potential Map