Organic Chemistry Exercise 1.2 - Aromatic Compounds and Reactions

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts, reaction mechanisms, and substituent effects discussed in Exercise 1.2 on aromatic chemistry.

Nitration Rate of Aniline vs. Nitrobenzene

The nitration reaction occurs faster for aniline than for nitrobenzene because the amino group ($\text{-NH}_2$) in aniline is electron-donating and strongly activating, whereas the nitro group ($\text{-NO}_2$) in nitrobenzene is electron-withdrawing and strongly deactivating.

Synthesis of Benzene from Ethanoic Acid

A synthetic sequence that transforms ethanoic acid ($\text{CH}_3\text{COOH}$) into benzene ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_6$) via multi-step chemical reactions to yield a key intermediate for pharmaceutical applications.

Phenol Reduction to Benzene

The chemical conversion of phenol ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_5\text{OH}$) into benzene ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_6$) by heating phenol with zinc dust ($\text{Zn}$), yielding benzene and zinc oxide ($\text{ZnO}$).

Benzene Sulfonic Acid Hydrolysis

The desulfonation reaction where benzene sulfonic acid ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_5\text{SO}_3\text{H}$) is heated with superheated steam or dilute acid to produce benzene ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_6$) and sulfuric acid ($\text{H}_2\text{SO}_4$).

Substituent Effects on Benzene Reactivity

The influence of existing groups on an aromatic ring that either increase ring reactivity (activating groups) or decrease ring reactivity (deactivating groups) toward electrophilic aromatic substitution.

Nitro Group ($\text{-NO}_2$) Effect in Substitution

A strongly electron-withdrawing substituent that deactivates the benzene ring through inductive and resonance effects, directing incoming electrophiles to the meta position during electrophilic aromatic substitution.

Chlorine Substituent Effect in Chlorobenzene

A substituent that acts as an ortho-para director due to resonance electron-pair donation, despite being overall deactivating toward electrophilic aromatic substitution due to its strong negative inductive effect ($-I$).

Bromination of Nitrotoluene

An electrophilic aromatic substitution on a disubstituted benzene ring where the position of the incoming bromine atom is primarily governed by the strongly activating methyl group ($\text{-CH}_3$) over the deactivating nitro group ($\text{-NO}_2$).

Sodium Benzoate

A common food and beverage preservative whose chemical structure ($\text{C}_6\text{H}_5\text{COONa}$) combines a lipophilic benzene ring that penetrates cell membranes with an ionic carboxylate group that provides water solubility.