Anisole undergoes Friedel-Crafts reaction with alkyl halide and acyl halide in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride as a Lewis acid catalyst. The reaction introduces the alkyl and acyl groups at ortho and para positions.

The alkoxy group is ortho, para directing, and activates the aromatic ring in a manner similar to phenol. In the halogenation of anisole, the methoxy group activates the benzene ring, allowing bromination to occur even without an iron (III) bromide ...

The order of reactivity is HI > HBr > HCl. Cleavage with concentrated HI or HBr at high temperatures results in the formation of tertiary halides when one of the alkyl groups is tertiary, following an SN₁ mechanism due to ...

Alkyl aryl ethers undergo cleavage at the alkyl-oxygen bond, leading to the formation of phenol and alkyl halide. This preference is due to the greater stability of the aryl-oxygen bond.

The cleavage of the C-O bond in ethers happens under drastic conditions with excess hydrogen halides. The reaction of a dialkyl ether yields two alkyl halide molecules.