Question

Formation of a carbocation is an example of:

• A. homolytic bond fission
• B. heterolytic bond fission
• C. both $A$ and $B$
• D. none of these

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

heterolytic bond fission

In heterolytic fission, a covalent bond is broken, and the shared pair of electron is taken by one of the atoms. The negatively charged atom has octet configuration in this type of fission whereas the positively charged atom has sextet configuration. In this type of cleavage, we get carbon atoms which are negatively charged and are also called as carbanions and in the same way the carbon atoms which are positively charged, known as carbocations.