Determine the correct order of reactivity of the following compounds towards nucleophilic attack by water (hydration/hydrolysis) in an aqueous acidic medium: I. II. III.

Step-by-step solution

The reactivity of carbonyl compounds towards nucleophilic attack depends on the magnitude of the partial positive charge (electrophilicity) on the carbonyl carbon. This is influenced by the inductive ( -I ) and resonance ( +R ) effects of the attached groups. 1. In acetyl chloride (III), the highly electronegative chlorine atom exerts a strong -I effect, which significantly increases the positive charge on the carbonyl carbon. The +R effect of chlorine is very weak due to the mismatch in size between the 3p orbital