Why is the carbocation on the left more stable? [closed]








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[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nURuA.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nURuA.png)


I assume resonance is coming into play here due to the hydroxy group on the carbon adjacent to the positive charge. What about the electron donating effect of the alkoxy groups?




Remember that molecular structures of organic compounds do not always show all four valence to each carbon atom and you have to fill in the missing valence with hydrogen. When you do this you find that the double bond is isolated in both carbocations. **There is no resonance.**


So, we fall back to the inductive effects. Functional groups with oxygen are relatively electronegative and tend to be electron-withdrawing, and the carbocation center in the right ion is closer to two such groups rather than one.


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