A Useful Paradigm for Polar Reactions

We can use the above logic to state the following simple paradigm for making a first pass at predicting chemical reactivity  

Combine the positive region of one nwlecule with the negative region of the other molecule. 

There are at least three different definitions and vantage points that chemists use to expand upon the electrostatic paradigm. They are nucleophile-electrophile combinations, Lewis acid-base reactions, and donor-acceptor orbital interactions. We have used these terms repeatedly throughout this book because they are presented in introductory organic chemistry classes, but here we give them strict definitions. Each of these definitions is a subtle variation on the other, and often it is essentially a case of semantics to decide which best describes a particular reaction. 

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