Given below are two statements: Statement I : In the chlorination of benzene, anhydrous AlCl₃ acts as a Lewis acid to facilitate the generation of the electrophile Cl^+ . Statement II : The Lewis acid promotes the reaction by donating a lone pair of electrons to the benzene ring to increase its nucleophilicity. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :

Step-by-step solution

In the chlorination of benzene, anhydrous AlCl₃ acts as a Lewis acid. It accepts a lone pair of electrons from the chlorine molecule, polarizing the Cl-Cl bond and facilitating the generation of the electrophile (which can be considered as Cl^+ or a highly polarized complex). Thus, Statement I is correct. A Lewis acid is an electron-pair acceptor, not an electron-pair donor. It does not donate electrons to the benzene ring; rather, the benzene ring acts as a nucleophile and attacks the generated electrophile. Thus,