What is a Friedel-Crafts Reaction?
A Friedel-Crafts reaction is an organic coupling reaction involving an electrophilic aromatic substitution that is used for the attachment of substituents to aromatic rings. The two primary types of Friedel-Crafts reactions are the alkylation and acylation reactions. These reactions were developed in the year 1877 by the French chemist Charles Friedel and the American chemist James Crafts.
An illustration describing both the Friedel-Crafts reactions undergone by benzene is provided below.
It can be noted that both these reactions involve the replacement of a hydrogen atom (initially attached to the aromatic ring) with an electrophile. Aluminium trichloride (AlCl3) is often used as a catalyst in Friedel-Crafts reactions since it acts as a Lewis acid and coordinates with the halogens, generating an electrophile in the process.
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