The reaction of toluene with chlorine in the presence of iron and in the absence of light yields ………

Options

A.
B.
C.
D. mixture of (b) and (c )

Explanation

To solve the question regarding the reaction of toluene with chlorine in the presence of iron and in the absence of light, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants**:
- The reactants in this reaction are toluene (C7H8) and chlorine (Cl2). Toluene has a methyl group (–CH3) attached to a benzene ring.

2. **Understand the Reaction Conditions**:
- The reaction occurs in the presence of iron (Fe), which acts as a Lewis acid (often as FeCl3) to facilitate the reaction. The absence of light indicates that we are not promoting a free radical mechanism but rather a substitution reaction.

3. **Recognize the Type of Reaction**:
- The reaction is a Friedel-Crafts alkylation. In this case, the chlorine will substitute for a hydrogen atom on the benzene ring of toluene.

4. **Formation of Electrophile**:
- In the presence of FeCl3, chlorine will dissociate to form a chloronium ion (Cl+), which is a strong electrophile. The reaction can be represented as:
\[ Cl_2 + FeCl_3 \rightarrow Cl^+ + FeCl_4^- \]

5. **Electrophilic Attack on Toluene**:
- The electrophile (Cl+) will attack the benzene ring. The methyl group (–CH3) is an electron-donating group, which activates the ring and directs the electrophilic substitution to the ortho and para positions relative to the methyl group.

6. **Formation of Products**:
- The Cl+ can attack at two positions:
- **Ortho Position**: This leads to the ortho-chlorotoluene.
- **Para Position**: This leads to the para-chlorotoluene.
- Therefore, both ortho and para products will be formed as a mixture.

7. **Conclusion**:
- The final products of the reaction are ortho-chlorotoluene and para-chlorotoluene, resulting in a mixture of these two isomers.

### Final Answer:
The reaction of toluene with chlorine in the presence of iron and in the absence of light yields a mixture of ortho-chlorotoluene and para-chlorotoluene.

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