Question

Name the attacking reagent in Friedel crafts alkylation and acylation.

Answer 1

Friedel crafts alkylation and acylation.

• A Friedel-Crafts reaction is an organic coupling reaction involving an electrophilic aromatic substitution that is used for the attachment of substituents to aromatic rings.

Illustration describing both the Friedel-Crafts reactions undergone by benzene.

• In the above reactions a hydrogen atom (initially attached to the aromatic ring) is replaced with an electrophile.
• Aluminium trichloride $\left({\mathrm{AlCl}}_3\right)$ is often used as a catalyst in Friedel-Crafts reactions since it acts as a Lewis acid and coordinates with the halogens, generating an electrophile in the process.

The overall reaction is demonstrated below.

Thus, electrophile is the attacking reagent in Friedel crafts alkylation and acylation.