How do alkenes decolourise bromine water?
1 Answer
By electrophilic addition to give the halohydrin,
Explanation:
Olefins are electron rich species and react with electrophiles or potential electrophiles:
i.e.
The brown colour of the bromine would dissipate (i.e. go to colourless!).
But (of course) there is an added sting in the tail of this question. It asked for the reaction of the olefin with bromine water, i.e.
So looking at intermediate steps:
So in the first addition, the olefin reacts as a nucleophile, as an electron rich species. The intermediate carbocation reacts of course as an electrophile. Because in bromine water
This is at a 1st/2nd year level rather than A levels.