The S_N1 reactivity of ethyl chloride is:

JEE Main Chemistry question

The reactivity of ethyl chloride is:

(A)More or less equal to that of benzyl chloride
(B)Less than that of benzyl chlorideCorrect
(C)More or less equal to that of chlorobenzene
(D)Less than that of chlorobenzene

Answer: (B)

Solution

reactivity tracks the stability of the carbocation formed on ionisation. Benzyl chloride ionises to a carbocation strongly stabilised by resonance with the aromatic ring, making it far more -reactive than simple ethyl chloride, which forms an unstabilised primary carbocation (and in practice barely reacts

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Question ID VK-148189