CarbocationZwischenzustand

CarbocationZwi... is not a standard term in chemistry and appears to be an incomplete or informal label. In this article, the concepts it evokes—carbocations and zwitterions—are discussed separately and in relation to charge-separated intermediates that can arise in organic reactions.

A carbocation, or carbenium ion, is a positively charged species in which a carbon atom bears an empty p-orbital. Such ions are common reactive intermediates formed by heterolytic bond cleavage or rearrangement. They are typically stabilized by adjacent substituents that donate electron density (hyperconjugation and resonance) and are strongly influenced by solvent polarity and temperature.

A zwitterion is a neutral molecule containing both positive and negative charges on different atoms. Zwitterions are well known in amino acids at physiological pH and in many dipolar or polar frameworks. Their stability derives from internal Coulombic attraction and, in some cases, favorable resonance or lattice stabilization in solids or polymers.

The intersection of carbocation and zwitterion ideas occurs in charge-separated intermediates and resonance forms. Some species exhibit carbocation character localized on a carbon center while surrounding atoms bear negative charge, or they exist as rapidly interconverting forms that distribute charge across the molecule. These situations influence reactivity, regioselectivity, and rearrangement pathways and are often explored in reaction mechanisms, spectroscopy, and computational studies. They are typically transient and challenging to isolate, but understanding their potential forms helps rationalize observed outcomes.

See also: Carbocation, Zwitterion, Reaction mechanism, Dipolar intermediates, Resonance.