Electrophilic addition reactions aren't too complicated...
1. The double bonds open up and atoms are added to the carbon atoms.
2. Electrophilic addition reactions happen because the double bond has got plenty of electrons and is easily attacked by electrophiles.
Electrophiles are electron pair-pair acceptors - they're usually a bit short of electrons, so they're attached to areas where there's lots of them about.
Here's a few example...
Positively charged ions, like H+, NO2 +
Polar molecules - the delta + atom is attracted to places with lots of electrons.
The double bond is also nucleophilic - it's attracted to places that don't have enough electrons.
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