Electrophiles

Electrophilic means "electron loving". An electrophile is a species that will accept a donation of electrons to create a new bond. Electrophiles are electron deficient, meaning they have an empty orbital so the nucleophile can donate its electrons.

When locating electrophiles, be on the lookout for atoms with a partial positive charge (atoms bound to highly electronegative atoms) or molecules which have a formal positive charge - but be careful with the latter! The formal charge is not always an accurate representation of the actual electron density and the most electrophilic atom is not necessarily the one where the formal charge is placed, as factors like resonance can "move" the electron density. An additional scenario to consider is when a carbon group carry a good leaving group, which makes it slightly electrophilic but does not present any electronic gap.