Question

Benzene easily shows

• A. Ring fission reactions since it is unstable.
• B. Addition reactions since it is unsaturated.
• C. Electrophilic substitution reactions due to stable ring and high electron density.
• D. Nucleophilic substitution reactions due to stable ring and minimum electron density.

Answer 1

The correct option is C Electrophilic substitution reactions due to stable ring and high electron density.

Benzene is a highly unsaturated molecule but is extremely stable due to the phenomenon of resonance. It has three pi bonds and therefore is expected to show addition reactions. However the extreme stability attributed due to resonance favors attack of electrophiles by substitution due to an electron cloud being present above and below the ring.