The nature of the intermediate formed by the electrophilic addition of H+, F+, Cl+, Br+, +SR, +HgX, or Ag+ to ethylene has been studied by extended Hiickel molecular orbital calculations. The trends observed in these calculations are shown to correlate well with experimental data and chemical intuition. Overlap populations, self-consistent charge distributions, and relative energy differences for these ions are given. Total energy differences for two of the charged species are compared by CNDO/2 calculations. The overall mechanism of electrophilic additions to olefins is discussed in light of these calculations. The relative stability of the intermediates involved in these reactions is determined by the extent of perturbation of the olefin by the attacking electrophile. The mode of addition is influenced by the amount of energy required to convert the symmetrical onium ion II to its unsymmetrical form IV.