BRAINCAKEExtending Carbon Chains on Benzene
Benzene is very stable, but a new carbon−carbon bond can be formed to its ring by Friedel-Crafts reactions. Both are electrophilic substitutions: a hydrogen atom on the ring is replaced by a carbon group.
Each reaction needs a halogen carrier, such as aluminium chloride, AlCl3. The halogen carrier generates a strong electrophile that can attack the delocalised π-system of benzene. The reaction is carried out under anhydrous conditions.
Friedel-Crafts alkylation uses a haloalkane to add an alkyl group:
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Key terms in this lesson
- carbocation
- A positively charged carbon-containing ion, formed when a carbon atom has only three bonds and a positive charge.
- halogen carrier
- A catalyst, such as AlCl3 or FeBr3, that generates a positive electrophile from a halogen or haloalkane for electrophilic substitution on a benzene ring.
More in Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation
- Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation
- Nitriles from Haloalkanes
- Hydroxynitriles from Carbonyls
- Reduction of Nitriles to Amines
- Hydrolysis of Nitriles to Carboxylic Acids
- Amides
- Naming Amides
All 8 lessons in Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation · All OCR A-level Organic Chemistry topics