Question

Suggest the name of a Lewis acid other than anhydrous aluminium chloride which can be used during ethylation of benzene.

The catalyst used in Friedel–Crafts reaction is

a) Out of benzene, m–dinitrobenzene and toluene which will undergo nitration most easily and why? b) Draw resonating structures of chlorobenzene using arrow to show Resonance effect in it.

Benzene is a key compound in organic chemistry and serves as a starting material for synthesizing various derivatives used in industries, such as dyes, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Due to its aromatic nature, benzene undergoes electrophilic substitution reactions like nitration, sulphonation, halogenation, and Friedel-Crafts alkylation/acylation. These reactions involve the replacement of a hydrogen atom on the benzene ring with a functional group. The reactivity of benzene is influenced by the electron density in its pi system, which makes it susceptible to attack by electrophiles.