Acetophenone is prepared by the reaction of which of the following in the presence of `AlCl_(3)` catalyst

Options

A. Phenol and acetic acid
B. Benzene and acetone
C. Benzene and acetyl chloride
D. Phenol and acetone

Answer

To solve the question regarding the preparation of acetophenone in the presence of an AlCl3 catalyst, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Reactants**:
- Acetophenone is a compound that consists of a phenyl group (benzene) attached to an acetyl group (C=O with a methyl group).
- The reactants needed to synthesize acetophenone are benzene (C6H6) and acetyl chloride (CH3C(=O)Cl).

2. **Understand the Role of AlCl3**:
- AlCl3 is a Lewis acid that acts as a catalyst in this reaction. It helps to generate a more reactive electrophile from acetyl chloride by accepting a lone pair of electrons from the chlorine atom.

3. **Reaction Mechanism**:
- When acetyl chloride reacts with AlCl3, the chlorine atom forms a bond with AlCl3, leading to the generation of an acetyl cation (CH3C^+=O).
- This cation is highly reactive and can undergo electrophilic aromatic substitution with benzene.

4. **Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution**:
- The acetyl cation attacks the benzene ring, replacing one of the hydrogen atoms. This forms an intermediate carbocation.
- The carbocation then loses a proton (H+) to restore aromaticity, resulting in the formation of acetophenone.

5. **Final Product**:
- The final product of this reaction is acetophenone (C6H5C(=O)CH3), and hydrochloric acid (HCl) is released as a byproduct.

### Conclusion:
Thus, the correct answer to the question is that acetophenone is prepared by the reaction of benzene and acetyl chloride in the presence of AlCl3 catalyst.