question_answer 33)

Why does benzene undergo electrophilic substitution reactions easily and nucleophilic substitutions with difficulty?

Answer:

Benzene has high electron density due to the presence of three \[\pi \]-electron pairs (\[6\pi \]-electrons)above and below the plane of the ring representing double bond. Due to rich source of electrons benzene attracts the electrophile (electron-deficient) reagents towards it and repels nucleophile (electron-rich) reagent. Therefore, benzene undergoes electrophilic substitution reactions easily and nucleophilic substitutions with difficulty.