What is the product of the Friedel-Crafts acylation of benzene with acetyl chloride (CH3COCl)?

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Q: What is the product of the Friedel-Crafts acylation of benzene with acetyl chloride (CH3COCl)?

Solution: The product is acetophenone, formed when benzene reacts with acetyl chloride in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst.

Steps: 6

Step 1: Start with benzene, which is a ring of six carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached.
Step 2: Introduce acetyl chloride (CH3COCl), which has a carbon atom bonded to a carbonyl group (C=O) and a chlorine atom.
Step 3: Use a Lewis acid catalyst, such as aluminum chloride (AlCl3), to help the reaction occur.
Step 4: The Lewis acid activates the acetyl chloride, making it more reactive.
Step 5: The activated acetyl chloride reacts with benzene, replacing one hydrogen atom on the benzene ring with the acetyl group (C=O and CH3).
Step 6: The result of this reaction is acetophenone, which has a benzene ring attached to a carbonyl group and a methyl group.