Question

Is sulfuric acid a nucleophile or electrophile?

Answer 1

The sulfuric acid is an electrophile. The moderately positive hydrogen atom in sulfuric acid behaves as an electrophile and is strongly attracted to the electrons in the pi bond.

1. An electrophile that accepts a hydrogen electron pair is known as a Bronsted acid or simply an “acid”, Here are some Lewis acid examples you're probably familiar with. Other species can include both nucleophiles and bases, as well as electrophiles and acids.
2. As the unfavorable charge density rises, so does the nucleophilicity. A better nucleophile is always the conjugate base because an anion is always a better nucleophile than a neutral molecule. Strongly electronegative atoms are weak nucleophiles because they can't exchange their electrons.

Diagram:

Hence, sulfuric acid is an electrophile.