Out of benzene,$m$-dinitrobenzene and toluene,which will undergo nitration most easily and why?

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) The ease of nitration depends on the electron density of the aromatic ring. Nitration is an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction where the electrophile,nitronium ion $(NO_2^+)$,attacks the electron-rich ring.
$1$. The $CH_3$ group in toluene is an electron-donating group ($+I$ effect and hyperconjugation),which increases the electron density of the benzene ring,making it more reactive towards electrophilic substitution than benzene.
$2$. The $NO_2$ group in $m$-dinitrobenzene is a strong electron-withdrawing group ($-I$ and $-M$ effects),which significantly decreases the electron density of the benzene ring,making it the least reactive.
$3$. Benzene has intermediate reactivity.
Therefore,toluene undergoes nitration most easily. The increasing order of reactivity towards nitration is: $m$-dinitrobenzene < benzene < toluene.

Explore More

Similar Questions

The product $(Z)$ of the following reaction is

The presence of a nitro group in a benzene ring......

Consider the following compounds/species:
The number of compounds/species which obey $H$ückel's rule is $..........$

Among the following,the aromatic compounds are:

How many products are capable of being formed from toluene in each of the following reactions shown in the figure?

Difficult
View Solution

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