What is the effect of substituents on the reactivity of aromatic compounds in el
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the effect of substituents on the reactivity of aromatic compounds in electrophilic substitution?
All substituents deactivate the ring.
Electron-donating groups activate the ring.
Electron-withdrawing groups have no effect.
All substituents direct to the meta position.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the effect of substituents on the reactivity of aromatic compounds in electrophilic substitution?
Correct Answer: Electron-donating groups activate the aromatic ring.
Step 1: Understand what aromatic compounds are. They are special types of cyclic compounds that have a ring structure with alternating double bonds.
Step 2: Learn about electrophilic substitution. This is a chemical reaction where an electrophile (a positively charged species) replaces a hydrogen atom on the aromatic ring.
Step 3: Identify what substituents are. Substituents are groups of atoms that are attached to the aromatic ring and can influence its reactivity.
Step 4: Know the difference between electron-donating groups and electron-withdrawing groups. Electron-donating groups push electrons towards the ring, while electron-withdrawing groups pull electrons away from the ring.
Step 5: Realize that electron-donating groups activate the aromatic ring. This means they make the ring more reactive towards electrophiles, making substitution easier.
Step 6: Understand that electron-withdrawing groups deactivate the aromatic ring. This means they make the ring less reactive towards electrophiles, making substitution harder.