text: Tertiary carbons form the most stable carbocations due to a combination of factors. The three alkyl groups on the tertiary carbon contribute to a strong inductive effect. This is because each alkyl group will share its electron density with the central carbocation to stabilize it. Additionally, the surrounding sp3 hybridized carbons can stabilize the carbocation through hyperconjugation. This occurs when adjacent sp3 orbitals have a weak overlap with the vacant p orbital; since there are 3 surrounding carbons with sp3 hybridization, there are more opportunities for overlap, which contributes to increasing carbocation stability.