BRIEF OVERVIEW OF REACTIONS OF BENZENE
Benzene is a six-membered ring compound with alternating double bonds, and it is one of the most fundamental organic compounds. Due to its unique structure, benzene undergoes a variety of chemical reactions that are quite different from those of aliphatic compounds. Here is a brief overview of some of the reactions of benzene, along with their chemical equations:
1) Electrophilic substitution reactions: Benzene reacts with electrophiles (electron-deficient species) to form substituted derivatives of benzene. These reactions are called electrophilic substitution reactions. The general mechanism involves the formation of a complex between the electrophile and the benzene ring, followed by the transfer of the electrophile to a carbon atom of the ring. The most common electrophilic substitution reactions are:
a) Nitration: Benzene reacts with nitric acid in the presence of sulfuric acid to form nitrobenzene.
HNO3 + H2SO4 → NO2+ + HSO4- + H2O
C6H6 + NO2+ → C6H5NO2 + H+
b) Halogenation: Benzene reacts with halogens (Cl2, Br2, or I2) in the presence of a catalyst (usually FeCl3 or AlCl3) to form the corresponding halobenzene.
C6H6 + X2 → C6H5X + HX
(X = Cl, Br, or I)
c) Sulfonation: Benzene reacts with concentrated sulfuric acid to form benzenesulfonic acid.
C6H6 + H2SO4 → C6H5SO3H + H2O
2) Addition reactions: Benzene can undergo addition reactions, but they are not very common due to the stability of the benzene ring. The most common addition reaction of benzene is hydrogenation, in which benzene reacts with hydrogen gas in the presence of a catalyst (usually Pt or Pd) to form cyclohexane.
C6H6 + 3H2 → C6H12
3) Oxidation reactions: Benzene is quite resistant to oxidation due to the stability of the benzene ring. However, under certain conditions, benzene can undergo oxidation to form benzoic acid. The most common oxidizing agents for benzene are chromic acid (H2CrO4) and potassium permanganate (KMnO4).
C6H6 + 2KMnO4 + 3H2SO4 → 6CO2 + 2MnSO4 + 3H2O + K2SO4
C6H6 + H2CrO4 → C6H5COOH + H2O + CrO3
These are some of the main reactions of benzene. However, there are many more reactions of benzene that involve more complex reaction mechanisms, such as Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation. These reactions involve the use of a Lewis acid catalyst, such as aluminum chloride (AlCl3) or ferric chloride (FeCl3), to activate the electrophile and facilitate the reaction with the benzene ring.
Benzene substituted reactions
1) Toluene (methylbenzene)
IUPAC name: methylbenzene
Chemical equation:
C6H5CH3 + Br2 → C6H5CH2Br + HBr
2) Phenol (hydroxybenzene)
IUPAC name: hydroxybenzene
Chemical equation:
C6H5OH + CH3Cl + AlCl3 → C6H5OCH3 + HCl + AlCl3
3) Aniline (aminobenzene)
IUPAC name: aminobenzene
Chemical equation:
C6H5NH2 + HNO3 → C6H5NO2 + H2O
4) Benzoic acid (carboxybenzene)
IUPAC name: benzoic acid
Chemical equation:
C6H5COCl + H2O + NaOH → C6H5COOH + NaCl
5) Nitrobenzene
IUPAC name: nitrobenzene
Chemical equation:
C6H5NO2 + Fe/HCl → C6H5NH2 + 2H2O + FeCl3
SHUNT AND MULTIPLIER EXPLANATION
BENZENE VS ALKENES
You May Also Like
GROSS FEATURES OF STERNUM
WHEN SHARES ARE ISSUED TO THE PUBLIC AND THE ISSUING COMPANY HAS NOT REQUESTED FOR PAYMENTS, IT IS REFERRED TO AS
