What is the function of Fe in chlorination or bromination of aromatic compounds?
Chlorination or bromination of aromatic compounds in the presence of iron( Fe ) is an example of electrophilic substitution reaction.
In these halogenation reaction iron dust is used as halogen carrier indirectly. The iron metal first reacts with halogen to form expected ferric halide which used as Lewis acid or halogen carrier.
For example, chlorination or bromination of benzene produced chlorobenzene or bromo benzene .The reaction are as follows,
