Thiophene and benzene are separated by

Options

A. Sulphonation of thiophene
B. Sulphonation of benzene
C. Nitration of thiophene
D. Nitration of benzene

Answer

To separate thiophene and benzene, we can utilize their differing reactivity in electrophilic substitution reactions, specifically nitration. Here’s a step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Understanding the Compounds
- **Thiophene** is a five-membered aromatic ring containing sulfur.
- **Benzene** is a six-membered aromatic ring consisting entirely of carbon and hydrogen.

### Step 2: Electrophilic Substitution Reactions
- Both thiophene and benzene undergo electrophilic substitution reactions. However, their reactivity differs due to the presence of sulfur in thiophene, which can stabilize the positive charge during the reaction.

### Step 3: Comparing Nitration Rates
- The nitration of thiophene occurs faster than that of benzene. This is because thiophene's electron-rich nature, due to the sulfur atom, makes it more reactive towards electrophiles.

### Step 4: Performing Nitration
- To separate thiophene from benzene, we can perform nitration on the mixture. The reaction conditions should favor the nitration of thiophene, allowing it to react more quickly than benzene.

### Step 5: Isolation of Products
- After nitration, we can isolate the products. Since thiophene nitrates faster, we can remove the nitrated thiophene from the reaction mixture, leaving behind benzene.

### Conclusion
- By taking advantage of the different rates of nitration, we can effectively separate thiophene from benzene.

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