MolDraw › Templates › Resonance › Allyl cation, radical and anion
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Allyl cation, radical and anion template
Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro.
The allyl cation (π bond into the empty orbital), the allyl radical (three fish-hook arrows) and the allyl anion (lone pair into the π system), each with two equivalent forms.
What the template shows
- Three p orbitals in a row: the charge or the odd electron sits on either end carbon
- Resonance contributors
- Allyl cation
- C=C π bond moves into the empty p orbital
- Allyl radical
- Single electrons move: three fish-hook arrows
- Allyl anion
- The lone pair forms the new π bond
- In all three the two end carbons are equivalent; the middle carbon never carries the charge or the odd electron.
- Both C–C bonds are the same length (bond order 1.5).
- Allylic delocalisation is why allylic cations, radicals and anions form easily (SN1 of allyl halides, NBS allylic bromination).
- A cation uses curly (two-electron) arrows from the π bond; a radical needs fish-hook (one-electron) arrows.
- Contributors are not in equilibrium: the real species is one hybrid of them · every part of this figure is editable
Drawn with 18 atoms, 9 arrows, 4 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.
Sources
How to use this template
- Press Edit in MolDraw. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
- Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need.
- Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page.
- Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Allyl cation, radical and anion template free?
You can preview the Allyl cation, radical and anion template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.
Can I edit the Allyl cation, radical and anion template?
Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.
Is the chemistry checked?
Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.
How are resonance structures shown?
Each contributor is drawn separately, joined by double-headed resonance arrows, with curly arrows showing how the electrons move from one contributor to the next.