heterolys
Heterolysis is a type of chemical bond cleavage in which the two electrons of a covalent bond are localized on one of the two fragments, producing a cation and an anion. This contrasts with homolysis, where each fragment takes one electron and radicals are formed. Heterolytic bond cleavage is common in polar solvents and in reactions that proceed through ionic intermediates such as carbocations or carbanions.
In mechanism terms, heterolysis is often the rate-determining step in reactions that generate charged species. For
Typical examples include the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of alkyl halides, where the carbon–halogen bond undergoes heterolysis to
Factors that favor heterolysis include high bond polarity, a good leaving group, and solvents that stabilize