Identifying the nucleophile or electrophile

[rebecca_handler_1B]

I was still a little confused on the question he went over at the end of class. How can you tell if the positive or negative side of a molecule is stronger?

[Madeline_Foo_3J]

I think it depends on the shape of the molecule?

[Marissa Petchpradub 2F]

A lot of the time it depends on the electronegativity of the elements in question. For example, if the carbon atom is connected to only one oxygen, it will have a smaller delta positive charge while the oxygen has a small delta negative charge. If the carbon atom is attached to two oxygens, it will have a larger delta positive charge; since there are two oxygens, there is more electronegativity, which will cause the carbon atom to be less negative since the oxygens have a stronger pull on the electrons.