Arrange these compounds in the increasing order of reactivity with nitrating mixture.abc
(A)c<a<b
(B)b < c < a
(C)c<b<a
(D)b < a < c✓ Correct
Answer: (D)
Solution
The three substrates are chlorobenzene (a), nitrobenzene (b) and anisole (c). Nitration is an electrophilic aromatic substitution whose rate follows the electron density of the ring. The nitro group withdraws electrons by both resonance and induction and deactivates the ring most; chlorine is only weakly deactivating because its inductive withdrawal is largely offset by lone-pair donation; the methoxy group donates electron density by resonance and strongly activates the ring. The increasing order of reactivity towards the nitrating mixture is b<a<c.
JEE Main · 2026 · 23 Jan 2026 · Shift 1 · Single correct option
