Toluene react with a halogen in the presence of iron (III) chloride giving ortho and para halo compounds. The reactions is

Options

A. electrophilic elimination reaction
B. electrophilic substitution reaction
C. free radical addition reaction
D. nucleophilic substitution reaction

Explanation

To solve the question regarding the reaction of toluene with halogen in the presence of iron (III) chloride, we will follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants:**
- The reactants in this reaction are toluene (C₇H₈) and a halogen (X₂, where X can be Cl, Br, etc.).
- Iron (III) chloride (FeCl₃) is used as a catalyst.

2. **Understand the Reaction Type:**
- The reaction is classified as an **electrophilic substitution reaction**. This is because the halogen acts as an electrophile that substitutes one of the hydrogen atoms on the aromatic ring of toluene.

3. **Formation of Electrophile:**
- In the presence of FeCl₃, the halogen (X₂) reacts to form a halogen cation (X⁺) and a complex ion (FeCl₄⁻).
- For example, if we use chlorine, the reaction can be represented as:
\[ Cl_2 + FeCl_3 \rightarrow FeCl_4^- + Cl^+ \]

4. **Electrophilic Attack:**
- The generated electrophile (Cl⁺) attacks the electron-rich aromatic ring of toluene.
- Toluene has a methyl group (–CH₃), which is an electron-donating group, making the ring more reactive towards electrophiles.
- The electrophile can attack at two positions: ortho (adjacent to the methyl group) and para (opposite the methyl group).

5. **Formation of Ortho and Para Products:**
- The electrophilic attack leads to the formation of two possible products:
- **Ortho-halo toluene** (where Cl is substituted at the ortho position)
- **Para-halo toluene** (where Cl is substituted at the para position)
- The reaction can be represented as:
\[ C_7H_8 + Cl^+ \rightarrow \text{Ortho-C}_7H_7Cl + \text{Para-C}_7H_7Cl \]

6. **Deprotonation:**
- After the electrophilic substitution, a hydrogen atom is removed from the aromatic ring, leading to the formation of the halo-substituted products.
- The by-products of the reaction are HCl and FeCl₃.

7. **Final Products:**
- The final products of the reaction are ortho-chlorotoluene and para-chlorotoluene, along with HCl and FeCl₃ as by-products.

### Summary of the Reaction:
The overall reaction can be summarized as:
\[ C_7H_8 + Cl_2 \xrightarrow{FeCl_3} \text{Ortho-C}_7H_7Cl + \text{Para-C}_7H_7Cl + HCl + FeCl_3 \]