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Read the passage and answer. A carbocation has a positively charged, electron-deficient carbon with six valence electrons and a planar geometry; it forms by heterolytic bond cleavage. Its stability rises with +I (electron-releasing) groups and through hyperconjugation and resonance, while -I (electron-withdrawing) groups destabilize it. Among the following, which carbocation is the most stable?

1. CH3+
2. CH3-CH+-CH3
3. CH3-CH2+
4. (CH3)3C+

Correct answer: (CH3)3C+

Solution

Stability order is tertiary > secondary > primary > methyl. (CH3)3C+ is tertiary with three methyl groups giving maximum +I effect and nine alpha hydrogens for hyperconjugation, making it the most stable.

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