Describe the reaction of chlorobenzene with a hydroxyl group (nucleophilic substitution).

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) Chlorobenzene is extremely resistant to nucleophilic substitution due to the partial double bond character of the $C-Cl$ bond and the instability of the phenyl cation. However,it can be converted into phenol by heating with aqueous sodium hydroxide $(NaOH)$ at a high temperature of $623 \ K$ and a high pressure of $300 \ atm$,followed by acidification.
The reaction is as follows:
$C_6H_5Cl + NaOH \xrightarrow{623 \ K, 300 \ atm} C_6H_5ONa + H_2O$
$C_6H_5ONa + H^+ \rightarrow C_6H_5OH + Na^+$
The presence of electron-withdrawing groups like $-NO_2$ at ortho- and para-positions significantly increases the reactivity of haloarenes towards nucleophilic substitution by stabilizing the carbanion intermediate.

Explore More

Similar Questions

Identify the best suitable reagent for the following reaction.

The following reaction is:
$p-Nitrochlorobenzene + KOH \xrightarrow{\Delta} p-Nitrophenol + KCl$

The alkyl halide that does not give a white precipitate with alcoholic $AgNO_3$ solution is ................. .

Difficult
View Solution

Identify the compound $X$ in the following reaction: $\text{Benzene} + ICl \xrightarrow{\text{anhydrous } AlCl_3} X$

What is the product $X$ in the following Wurtz-Fittig reaction?

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo