Given below are two statements : Statement I: Heating benzamide with bromine in an ethanolic solution of sodium hydroxide will give benzylamine. Statement II: Nitration of aniline with HNO₃/H₂SO₄ at 288 K produces m -nitroaniline in higher amount than o -nitroaniline (pH adjusted). In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below :

Step-by-step solution

Statement I describes the Hoffmann bromamide degradation reaction. When benzamide ( C₆H₅CONH₂ ) is heated with bromine in an ethanolic solution of sodium hydroxide, it produces aniline ( C₆H₅NH₂ ), not benzylamine. Thus, Statement I is false. Statement II describes the nitration of aniline. Direct nitration of aniline with HNO₃/H₂SO₄ yields a mixture of p -nitroaniline ( 51 % ), m -nitroaniline ( 47 % ), and o -nitroaniline ( 2 % ). The significant formation of the meta derivative is due to the protonation of anili