An aromatic compound (A) with the molecular formula C ₇ H ₆ Cl ₂ gives a precipitate of AgCl on boiling with an alcoholic AgNO ₃ solution, and yields a compound of formula C ₇ H ₇ OCl on treatment with aqueous sodium hydroxide. Oxidation of (A) gives a monochlorobenzoic acid which affords only one mononitro derivative upon nitration. Compound (A) is:

Step-by-step solution

Compound (A) has the molecular formula C ₇ H ₆ Cl ₂ . It gives a precipitate of AgCl on boiling with alcoholic AgNO ₃ solution, which indicates the presence of a benzylic chlorine atom (reactive towards nucleophilic substitution). Treatment with aqueous NaOH yields a compound with the formula C ₇ H ₇ OCl . This means only one chlorine atom is replaced by an - OH group, confirming that one chlorine is benzylic and the other is attached directly to the benzene ring (aryl chlorine, which is unreactive under these cond