Why does benzene undergo electrophilic substitution reactions easily and nucleophilic substitutions with difficulty?

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asked Oct 13, 2017 in Chemistry by jisu zahaan (28,760 points) 26 374 807

Why does benzene undergo electrophilic substitution reactions easily and nucleophilic substitutions with difficulty? 

1 Answer

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answered Oct 13, 2017 by sforrest072 (157,439 points) 60 409 933
selected Nov 5, 2017 by sarthaks
 
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Benzene is a planar molecule having delocalized electrons above and below the plane of ring. Hence, it is electron-rich. As a result, it is highly attractive to electron deficient species i.e., electrophiles. Therefore, it undergoes electrophilic substitution reactions very easily. Nucleophiles are electron-rich. Hence, they are repelled by benzene. Hence, benzene undergoes nucleophilic substitutions with difficulty. 

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