A. Phenol (C6H5OH) is an aromatic compound and a colourless liquid widely used in household products and medicine. When it reacts with chlorine liquid (chlorine is a diatomic molecule), in the presence of a
catalyst, one of the aromatic hydrogen atoms attached directly to a C atom is replaced with a chlorine
atom, and liquid chlorophenol is formed. This replacement process is called chlorination
Write a balanced chemical equation for the chlorination reaction and explain how you balanced it. Note
that hydrogen chloride gas (HCI) is also a product of this chemical reaction and you should ignore the
presence of the catalyst in the equation.

The balanced chemical reaction equation for the reaction between aromatic phenol and chlorine gas in the presence of FeCl3 as catalyst is as follows;

C6H6O + Cl2 -------> C6H5OCl + HCl

An aromatic compound has 4n + 2 number of pi electrons. This condition is satisfied by phenol. Hence, phenol has the stability associated with aromatic compounds.

The reaction of phenol with chlorine in the presence of a catalyst such as FeCl3 is an aromatic electrophillic substitution reaction.

This reaction yields a chlorinated phenol (one of the aromatic hydrogen atoms attached directly to a C atom is replaced with a chlorine  atom and chlorophenol is formed).

A balanced chemical reaction equation is one in which the number of atoms of each element at the reactant side and the product side are equal. This condition is satisfied for the reaction;

C6H6O + Cl2 -------> C6H5OCl + HCl

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