Inductive and Mesomeric Effects: Introduction and Types of Electronic Effects
Inductive and Mesomeric Effects: Introduction and Types of Electronic Effects

Learning Outcomes

After studying this lesson, you shall be able to:

Understand inductive effects

Introduction

  1. You are already familiar with various electronic effects.
  2. But to understand the properties of organic molecules, like acidity, basicity, stability of various species, and to understand the organic reactions and their mechanism, it is very important that we visit the electronic effects operating especially with a detailed study of conjugated chemical bonding.
  3. During most of the organic reactions, reagents either undergo heterolysis to give rise to electrophiles and/or nucleophiles. or they undergo homolyses to give rise to free radicals.
  4. Electrophiles being electron deficient search for electron rich site in the organic substrate to attack and form the bond.
  5. But, if there are more than one electron rich sites in the organic substrate, the electrophile obviously would prefer to attack on the most electron rich site.
  6. On the other hand, nucleophiles being electron rich, search for electron deficient sites in the organic substrate.
Electronic effects

7. How these electron deficient and electron rich sites are created (or occur) in the
substrate and how can we predict them by looking at the structure of the substrate so
that we may predict the attack and hence the course of the reaction?

8.This can be done by understanding and analysing the electronic effects operating or
present in the substrate.

9.Electronic effects are the effects originating or present in the organic molecules due to
which the reactivity at one part of a molecule is affected by electron attraction or
repulsion originating in another part of a molecule.

10.Let us know about different types of electronic effects.

Types of Electronic Effects

There are four types of electronic effects mainly, viz.

  1. inductive effect,
  2. Mesomeric (or resonance) effect,
  3. electrometric effect and
  4. hyper conjugative effect.

Of these, electrometric effect is temporary while rest are permanent and are exhibited as
the dipole moment of the molecule.

  1. If we consider hydrocarbons, they are non-polar. But the compound having functional
    groups i.e.. having hetero atom (i.e.. , atoms other than carbon) or groups are polar.
  2. While studying all these effects, we shall consider how the presence of a hetero atom/group introduces polarity in the organic molecules.
  3. It is in the context of this group which is known to exert different types of effects on the remaining part of the molecule.

Inductive Effect

  1. Ideally, a covalent bond between two atoms must share the pair of electrons equally.
  2. If the electronegativities of the two atoms are different, this sharing of electrons is not equal, and the more electronegative atom gets a fractional negative charge due to the greater attraction of the shared pair of electrons towards itself and the other atom gets a fractional positive charge.
  3. Fractional or partial negative charge is represented by δ- (pronounced as delta minus) and
  4. Fractional or partial positive charge is represented by δ + (pronounced as delta plus) ,
  5. δ signifying the very less magnitude of charge
  6. For example,C – X (X = halogen) bond is polar with C having a δ + charge and the halogen having a δ – charge.
  7. The magnitude or value of these fractional charges increases with an increase in the electronegativity of the halogen i.e.. for halogens, it is in the order F > CI > Br > I.
  8. Let us consider a carbon chain, with the end carbon joined to a more electronegative atom say Cl, then Cl will attract electrons (σ electrons between C and C1 ) more towards itself.
  9. Hence, the carbon atom will become slightly electron deficient and get a fractional positive charge ( δ) due to a difference of electronegativity.
  10. This polarization is not restricted till here, but it induces polarity further and hence the name as inductive effect.

MCQs

  1. Which of the following attack on electron rich sites of the substrate

a) Electrophile

b) Nucleophiles

c) Both

d) None of the above

Answer: A

2.Which of the following exhibited temporary dipole moment of the molecule.

a) inductive effect,

b) Mesomeric (or resonance) effect,

c) electrometric effect

d) hyper conjugative effect

Answer: C

Part — 2

Inductive and Mesomeric Effects: Inductive Effect: Case of Chlorobactene

Learning Outcomes

After studying this lesson, you shall be able to:

  1. Inductive effect examples
  2. Classify a group into + I or – I group

Inductive Effect

  1. Let us consider the case of chlorobactene to understand this.
  2. Here,C1 acquires slight positive charge (δ+)due to the electronegativity of C1 which in turn acquires slight negative charge (δ-).
  3. C1 thus, becomes electron deficient and it exerts a pull on the electrons forming covalent bond between C1 and C2 but less strongly.
  4. As a result C2, acquires a lesser positive charge (δδ+) as that on C1.
  5. C1 similarly acquires even lesser positive charge(δδδ+) and so on.
  6. Thus, a polarity is slowly induced throughout the carbon chain.
Inductive Effect
  1. However, the effect is very less beyond carbon 3 or 4.
  2. In other words, the effect diminishes as one moves further in the carbon chain relative to the position of the group.
  3. The phenomenon of transmission of charge arising due to electronegativity difference in a covalent bond (i.e.. dipole) through a chain of carbon atoms linked by sigma bonds is called inductive effect.
  4. Such an effect is therefore propagated in the entire chain of carbon atoms, which were otherwise non-polar (in the absence of C1 group ) .
  5. So, the atom/group responsible for the induction in polarity is C1.
  6. Remember that group C1 attracting electrons towards itself is normal due to the difference of electronegativity but induction of polarity in an otherwise non-polar bond due to the attachment of a more electronegative atom in the chain is known as inductive effect.
  7. The atoms/groups like Cl which are more electronegative than carbon gain a slight negative charge on them and withdraw the electrons of the carbon chain towards themselves are known to exert -I Effect (pronounced as “minus I effect” )
  8. Similarly, if a more electropositive group (say Y) is attached to an otherwise non-polar carbon chain, the group Y gets a fractional positive charge and the carbon linked to it gets a fractional negative charge.
  9. This slightly electron rich carbon then acquires induced electropositive character and shares its excess electron density with the next carbon, which also acquires a fractional negative charge and so on.
  10. e. g. Induced electronegative character
Inductive Effect

11. The atoms/groups which are more electropositive than carbon gain a slight positive charge on them and push the electrons of the carbon chain away from themselves are known to exert + I Effect (pronounced as “plus I effect” )

12. There are very few atoms or groups forming compounds with carbon which are more electropositive than carbon e. g. H and Mg.

13. However, the most important group exhibiting + I effect is the alkyl group, which due to a difference in electronegativities of hydrogen and carbon, makes the carbon slightly electron rich.

Inductive effect has the following characteristics:

  1. It is a permanent effect.
  2. It operates through sigma bonds. (Note that all the single, double and triple bonds have a sigma bond in them) .
  3. Its magnitude goes on decreasing with increase in distance from the atom/group responsible for the same. Inductive effect is almost negligible after the third or fourth atom.
  4. – I effect of some groups is in the order

H , -C6H5 < -OH < – I < -Br < -CI < F < -COOH < -CN < – NO2 < -N+ (CH3)3

I effect of some of the groups is in the following order:

H – < D-<CH3 < -CH2 R <CHR2 < -CR3 < -COO –

Inductive effect is not a hypothetical phenomenon but is actually operative in the molecules. This has been demonstrated by the fact that it is commonly used to explain the properties like origin of dipole moment, increase or decrease in bond lengths, strength of acids or bases, etc.

MCQs

  1. The slightly electron rich carbon acquires

a) Induced electronegative character

b) Induced electropositive character

c) becomes neutral

d) None of the above

Answer: B

  1. In case of chlorobactene C1, acquires slight positive charge (δ+)due to .

a) electronegativity of C1

b) electronegativity of C

c) electro positivity of C1

d) All of the above

Answer: A