If Br was missing just ONE electron it would be called a Free Radical; and would end up attacking the H on the methyl instead.
Since Br is 2 electrons short, it makes sense that it attacks the double bond on the aromatic ring, and then the rest of the rxn follows as showed in that flash.
A free radical is just a neutral atom. There are no electrons missing.
FeBr
3 is a Lewis acid (accepts a pair of electrons). So, it causes Br
2 to split into Br
+ and Br
-. Br
- is accepted by FeBr
3, since Br
- is a Lewis base.
Why does it refer to Br as Br+ instead of Br 2+ in that case?
So, after Br
2 splits, what's left is Br
+, because Br
- is accepted by FeBr
3. This is what attacks the electron rich benzene ring.