Although chlorine is an electron-withdrawing group, yet it is ortho-, para-directing in electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions. Why?

Explanation

Chlorine because of its -I-effect withdraws electrons from the benzene ring and hence tends to destabilize the intermediate carbocation formed during the electrophilic substitution. Conversely, the lone pairs of electrons on the chlorine atom stabilize the intermediate carbocation due to further, since resonance effect opposes the inductive effect, it makes deactivation less at o-and p-positions. thus, we conclude that in chlorobenzene, reactivity is controlled by the stronger -I-effect while orientation is controlled by the weaker resonance effect.