Question

Give the structure and name of the product in the following reaction.

Chlorination of toluene in the presence of anhydrous AlCl₃.

Answer 1

This is an example of electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS). Toluene (C₆H₅CH₃) is an activated benzene ring due to the +I and hyperconjugation effects of the methyl (–CH₃) group, which directs incoming electrophiles to the ortho and para positions.

1. Reaction Equation:
   \[\ce{C6H5CH3 + Cl2 ->[AlCl3][] \underset{o-chlorotoluene}{o-ClC6H4CH3} + \underset{p-chlorotoluene}{p-ClC6H4CH3} + HCl}\]
2. Structures of the Product: 
   1. Ortho-chlorotoluene
      
   2. Para-chlorotoluene
      
3.  Name of  Product:
   • Ortho-chlorotoluene (1-chloro-2-methylbenzene)
     Chlorine at the position next to the methyl group.
   • Para-chlorotoluene (1-chloro-4-methylbenzene) (major product due to less steric hindrance)