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JEE Main Chemistry Haloalkanes and Haloarenes 2026 JEE Main 2026 (02 April Shift 2)

JEE Main Chemistry Question (2026) — Solution

Question

Correct statements regarding alkyl halides (R - X) among the following are: A. Alcohol being less polar solvent as compared to water, alcoholic KOH favours elimination reaction with R - X. B. Order of reactivity towards S_N^1 mechanism is C_6 H_5 - CH_2 - Cl > C_6 H_5 - CHCl - C_6 H_5. C. Non substituted aryl halides exhibit properties similar to alkyl halides. D. Vinyl chloride is an example of haloalkene and allyl chloride is an example of haloalkyne. E. R - Cl can be prepared by reacting R - OH with SOCl_2 but Ar - Cl cannot be prepared by reacting Ar - OH with SOCl_2. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Options

  1. A. A, B and C Only
  2. B. B and D Only
  3. C. A and E Only
  4. D. D and E Only

Answer

C. A and E Only

Step-by-step solution

Statement A is correct. Alcoholic KOH provides alkoxide ions which are stronger bases than hydroxide ions. Furthermore, alcohol is a less polar solvent than water, which decreases the solvation of the base, making it more effective for elimination reactions over substitution. Statement B is incorrect. The reactivity towards the S_N^1 mechanism depends on the stability of the intermediate carbocation. The carbocation C_6H_5- + C H-C_6H_5 is more stable than C_6H_5- + C H_2 due to extended resonance stabilization from two phenyl rings. Thus, C_6H_5-CHCl-C_6H_5 is more reactive than C_6H_5-CH_2-Cl. Statement C is incorrect. Aryl halides are much less reactive towards nucleophilic substitution than alkyl halides due to the partial double bond character of the C-X bond arising from resonance, as well as the sp^2 hybridization of the carbon atom. Statement D is incorrect. Allyl chloride (CH_2=CH-CH_2-Cl) contains a carbon-carbon double bond, making it a haloalkene, not a haloalkyne. Statement E is correct. Alkyl chlorides (R-Cl) can be easily prepared from alcohols (R-OH) using SOCl_2. However, phenols (Ar-OH) do not react with SOCl_2 to give aryl chlorides because the C-O bond in phenol has a partial double bond character due to resonance, making it difficult to cleave. Therefore, only statements A and E are correct. Answer: A and E Only

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