Question

Chloro methane reacts with aqueous sodium hydroxide to form methanol.

1. What happens when chloro benzene reacts with aqueous sodium hydroxide? Justify.

2. Write the reaction by which chloro benzene can be converted to phenol.

Answer 1

1. No reaction. This is due to sp² state of carbon to which CI is attached, less polarity of C-X bond and resonance stabilisation.

2. Dow’s process. When chloro benzene is heated with sodium hydroxide solution at 623 K under a pressure of 200 atm in the presence of copper catalyst, sodium phenoxide is obtained. This on hydrolysis gives phenol.