Which of the following conditions is strictly required to convert unactivated chlorobenzene to pheno — Aromatic Hydrocarbons Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The $C-Cl$ bond in chlorobenzene possesses partial double bond character due to lone pair resonance, making it very strong and resistant to standard nucleophilic attack. Dow's process forces the substitution by using extreme, drastic conditions: aqueous $NaOH$ at $300^\circ C$ and high pressure (around 300 atm) to generate phenoxide, which is subsequently acidified.