Describe the preparation and important properties ofchlorobenzene
Answers
Properties of Chlorobenzene
One of the most important properties of chlorobenzene is its polarity. Since chlorine is more electronegative than carbon, chlorobenzene is polar, with chlorine bearing a partial negative charge and carbon being partially positive.
Chlorobenzene is not soluble in water, as are most aryl halides. When chlorobenzene is mixed with water, two separate layers form with the bottom layer being chlorobenzene since it's more dense (heavier) than water.
How Chlorobenzene is Synthesized
In order to synthesize chlorobenzene, the go-to method on large scales is to take benzene and react it with molecular chlorine in the presence of an iron (III) chloride (FeCl3) catalyst. The nice thing about this reaction is benzene, chlorine, and FeCl3 are all extremely cheap, abundant starting materials and that helps in keeping the commercial cost of chlorobenzene low to consumers and researchers.