Aryl chlorides and bromides are prepared by electrophilic substitution of arenes with chlorine and bromine, respectively, in the presence of Lewis acid catalysts like iron or iron(III) chloride. The ortho and para isomers can be easily separated based on their ...

The Swarts reaction involves heating an alkyl chloride or bromide in the presence of a metallic fluoride such as AgF, Hg₂F₂, CoF₂, or SbF₃. This reaction is employed for the synthesis of alkyl fluorides, making it the most effective method ...

Alkyl iodides are synthesized in the Finkelstein reaction by reacting alkyl chlorides or bromides with NaI in dry acetone. NaCl or NaBr formed is precipitated, facilitating the forward reaction according to Le Chatelier’s Principle.

The carbon-oxygen bond in phenols has partial double bond character, making it stronger than a single bond. This poses a challenge for its breakage, rendering the earlier methods ineffective for the preparation of aryl halides.

Nucleophiles are electron-rich species that attack the electron-deficient part of a substrate molecule, leading to nucleophilic substitution reactions. In these reactions, a nucleophile reacts with a haloalkane, replacing the existing nucleophile, and the departing halogen forms a halide ion.