Why is it that the reaction between benzoyl chloride and methanol do attack carbon from the ring
The reaction between benzoyl chloride and methanol involves a nucleophilic substitution reaction. In this reaction, the nucleophile (methanol) attacks the electrophilic carbon atom in the benzoyl chloride molecule.
To understand why the carbon atom from the aromatic ring is attacked, we need to consider the reactivity of the reactants. Benzoyl chloride belongs to a class of compounds known as acyl chlorides. Acyl chlorides are highly reactive due to the presence of the strongly electron-withdrawing chlorine atom, which makes the carbonyl carbon atom highly electrophilic.
On the other hand, methanol is a nucleophile because it has a lone pair of electrons on the oxygen atom, which it can donate to an electron-deficient carbon atom.
When the reaction takes place, the lone pair of electrons on the oxygen atom of methanol attacks the electrophilic carbonyl carbon atom in benzoyl chloride. This leads to the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate, where the chlorine atom is displaced.
The attack primarily occurs on the carbonyl carbon atom rather than the aromatic ring carbon atoms because the carbonyl carbon is more electron-deficient due to the presence of the highly electronegative chlorine atom. The electron density in the aromatic ring is higher compared to the carbonyl group, making it less susceptible to nucleophilic attack.
In summary, the reaction between benzoyl chloride and methanol involves a nucleophilic substitution reaction, where the nucleophile attacks the electrophilic carbon atom in the acyl chloride. The attack occurs on the carbonyl carbon rather than the carbon atoms in the aromatic ring due to the electron-withdrawing chlorine atom, which makes the carbonyl carbon more reactive and susceptible to nucleophilic attack.