Identify the major product P in the following reaction: [ (ii) H ^ ] (i) HO ^ / P

Step-by-step solution

The given reaction is a nucleophilic aromatic substitution ( S_NAr ). The -NO₂ group is strongly electron-withdrawing and activates the benzene ring towards nucleophilic attack at the ortho and para positions. This is because the intermediate carbanion (Meisenheimer complex) is stabilized by resonance when the attack occurs at these positions. In the starting material (1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene), the chlorine atom at position 1 is para to the -NO₂ group, whereas the chlorine atom at position 2 is meta to the -NO₂