Carbocations and carbanions are chemical species that contain a carbon atom with an incomplete octet. Carbocations have a positive charge on the carbon atom, while carbanions have a negative charge.
Carbocations are less stable than carbanions due to the positive charge on the carbon atom, which makes them highly reactive. Carbanions, on the other hand, are more stable due to the negative charge, making them less reactive.
The stability of carbocations and carbanions depends on the inductive effect, resonance, and hyperconjugation. The inductive effect refers to the ability of neighboring atoms to influence the distribution of electrons in the molecule. Resonance occurs when electrons can delocalize and stabilize the charge. Hyperconjugation also contributes to stability by allowing the delocalization of electrons through the overlap of sigma bonds.
Carbocations are electrophilic, meaning they are electron-deficient and can accept electrons from a nucleophile to form a new bond. Carbanions, on the other hand, are nucleophilic, meaning they are electron-rich and can donate electrons to form a new bond with an electrophile.
Some common reactions involving carbocations include electrophilic addition, electrophilic substitution, and rearrangement reactions. Carbanions are often involved in nucleophilic substitution, nucleophilic addition, and elimination reactions.