Friedel Crafts Reaction

his electrophilic aromatic substitution allows the synthesis of monoacylated products from the reaction between arenes and acyl chlorides or anhydrides. The products are deactivated, and do not undergo a second substitution. Normally, a stoichiometric amount of the Lewis acid catalyst is required, because both the substrate and the product form complexes.

The Friedel-Crafts Alkylation may give polyalkylated products, so the Friedel-Crafts Acylation is a valuable alternative. The acylated products may easily be converted to the corresponding alkanes via Clemmensen Reduction or Wolff-Kishner Reduction.

This Lewis acid-catalyzed electrophilic aromatic substitution allows the synthesis of alkylated products via the reaction of arenes with alkyl halides or alkenes. Since alkyl substituents activate the arene substrate, polyalkylation may occur. A valuable, two-step alternative is Friedel-Crafts Acylation followed by a carbonyl reduction